Shinobi of Camp Half-Blood
by YellowFlash117
Summary: Naruto's time as savior has ended. It is now the turn of a new generation of ninja to pick up where they left off to travel across space and time to help an unsuspecting ally vanquish a long forgotten evil. Nanako Uzumaki and Wilhelm are on a quest to help out the demigods of Camp Half-Blood to stop the impending evil that is Gaea. Enter: Shinobi of Camp Half-Blood!
1. Chapter 1

Prelude

Kakashi raced down the once bustling streets of the Leaf Village that was now deserted due to such a late hour. He had received a distress call from the front gates of the Village. He leapt from rooftop to rooftop, darting through the darkness like a shadow in the night. The moon was high in the sky tonight, casting a silver glow off his headband that covered his left eye. He finally leaped his last rooftop and landed before the giant, northern Gate of the Village. It was a giant archway that was connected to the outer walls that protect the Village. Under the archway was a gruesome setting. On the ground unconscious were the gatekeepers Hayate, Ganma, and Riga. Standing over them was a cloaked figure holding three, oval shaped packages. Kakashi was surprised; one loan figure couldn't have taken out three elite Jounin level ninja. If he could, Kakashi had to approach this cautiously.

He walked up to closer to the figure, just barely in the light of the lamppost hanging overhead. He could see that the cloaked figures features were exceedingly feminine. Her face was covered in a large hood. "Who are you?" Kakashi asked cautiously.

"You already know the answer to that, Kakashi of the Sharingan," After she spoke, Kakashi instantly pulled out a kunai in defense.

"What are _you _doing here?" He said with much conviction.

"Relax, shinobi of the Leaf," She began. Her voice was that of a mature woman, but it had the knowledge and might of a god behind it. "I only wish to convey a message."

"You know that setting foot on shinobi soil is a direct violation to the Treaty," Kakashi proclaimed. He never let down his guard and was ready to strike her if necessary. Yet, something in her tone relaxed him; telling him that she wasn't there to fight, but here in desperation.

"The Treaty means nothing anymore," She snapped. He was taken by surprise at the gravity of her tone. She sounded sincerely concerned, and if she was, then the whole world should be. Kakashi lowered his kunai and put it cautiously back in his pouch. He studied the mysterious figure carefully with his highly trained eye.

"Why would a goddess have business in the shinobi realm?" He asked curiously. Then she took off her hood off to reveal her godlike features. She was the most beautiful woman Kakashi had ever laid eyes on. Her features were literally glowing. She had long black hair woven in a braid with golden thread down her back. Her facial expression was very blasé but in her brown eyes reflected much knowledge and power.

"Trust me; I am not here by choice. Zeus sent me to deliver these," she said flatly. She beckoned to the three bundles of cloth in her hands.

"A new evil is upon us, and it not only threatens the shinobi realm, but as well as the Roman, Greek, and Wizard realms. It is time to band together like we once did and eradicate it. I, as the Queen of Olympus, give you these in hopes that they are somehow the answer," She held out the three bundles for Kakashi to receive. He took them from her hands when another figure joined the party.

"Hera, long time no see," Came a voice to the right of Kakashi. Out from the shadows strode a man. He was rather tall, with a lot of spiky blond hair. He wore an orange cloak with black flames as well as Leaf Village headband.

"Naruto," Hera said with a less than thrilled tone. She had not sensed him sneak up from the shadows. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to accept the packages, of course," he nodded to Kakashi to go ahead and take them. He gingerly held all three of them and was taken aback when he realized what, or who they were. The bundles were actually three little babies sleeping soundly in rolls of cloth. There were two boys and a girl, breathing softly in his arms.

"These are…" Kakashi whispered to himself.

"The triplets of legend, or they will be," Hera explained. Each baby had something around their neck; the boys had a metal chain with a ring slipped on, one gold and one silver. The girl had a bracelet attached to a string around her neck with five different charms on it. "I trust that they will be trained well here, under the guidance of the Hokage and you, Kakashi."

"Don't worry, Goddess, they will become the strongest shinobi in the village, believe it!" The Hokage proclaimed.

"Let us hope so," Hera said under her breath.

Naruto looked to the sky, a storm was brewing overhead. Suddenly, a large lightning bolt flashed across the sky and a loud clap of thunder filled air. "Zeus sounds pretty impatient."

"Yes, it's not easy living with such a baby of a king," Hera added in disgust. After she said that, a larger bolt struck. "I best be on my way. Good luck, ninja. Let's hope my husband picked the right village to send the children."

With that, she was struck by yet another lightning bolt and vanished. Kakashi looked down again at the rare set of triplets. He wondered where the Roman or Greek Gods found such important triplets.

"These children will become the most powerful ninja of their generation," Naruto agreed. "And who knows, they might surpass both of us. But right now, they need a family to care for them, to show them the ropes."

Kakashi looked straight into the Hokage's eyes. "Wait, hold on. You're not actually making me look after these three babies, are you? I could barely handle you three when you were little!"

"And looked how we turned out," Naruto countered. "I believe in you, Kakashi sensei. There is no one else better suited for the job."

"I hope you're right, Naruto," Kakashi said softly and looked down again at the three, slumbering babies. He noticed that each object around their necks were illuminating a little the closer they got closer. A thin stream of light began to stretch out of the two rings and the bracelet. They reached all the way to the sky, and possibly farther. Kakashi and Naruto looked up to three stars flicker to life in the heavens.

"These three will be very special…"

Chapter I

From the tunnel he could already hear the shouts and roars of the people shake the walls and ground. From the tunnel he could feel the electric atmosphere. From the tunnel he saw the lights that marked the beginning of his future as a shinobi. He stood alone in that tunnel with only the shadows to keep him company. He nervously twisted the golden ring around his left middle finger. It was a family heirloom that he had ever since his youth. It took years for him to decipher the complex seal that was engraved in silver around the ring. He brought his hand up to his mouth to look at the ring. He didn't know how, but it had fit him perfectly ever since he was seven years old. He suspected a special Jutsu that was put in place to make sure it would always fit the user. He kissed it for good luck and took a deep breath to calm the rest of his nerves before he was to step into the light.

_Are you prepared?_ A voice rung in his head. The voice belonged to his brother. _I'm not going to help you this time. You're on your own._

_I know that,_ the boy said confidently. _This is my battle to win._

_Just don't get hurt,_ another voice chimed in, this one was feminine; his sister. _I don't want to carry you off the battle field in a stretcher._

_I'll be fine, sis. Just sit back and don't blink._

_Good luck,_ they both said in unison. He smiled and started walking toward the wall of noise masked in light. The crowd grew with excitement when he drew closer. He stepped into the light of the bright, desert sun that coveted the arena. The crowd exploded in cheers as he entered the arena. They cheered and chanted his name.

"Wilhelm! Wilhelm! Wilhelm!" His smile grew bigger, but he kept himself from looking up for fear they might distract him. The bright sun's light glinted off his headband which specified which Village he was from. He could say with the upmost pride that he was a Leaf Ninja from the Village Hidden in the Leaves. He looked around the arena where he was to fight for the glory of becoming a Chunin. The stage for fighting was at the bottom of a huge, dug-out crater. The crowd was perched high above the crater for safety concerns. The shinobi fought at the very bottom, on a flat stage. He walked straight toward the stage, where the referee was waiting for the two finalists. Wil walked straight for the center stage, whilst fidgeting with his ring in his hand. He took it off with one hand and put it back on at least a dozen times until he reached the center of the stage.

He finally lifted up his head to look at his opponent as he entered the arena out of his own tunnel. The boy was from the Village Hidden in the Sand so he had home field advantage. He was a tall and slender figure, standing about an inch over Wil. His hair was as red as blood and had a surprisingly pasty complexion for someone who hails from the desert nation. His eyes were of the blackest shade that seemed to look straight through you. Wil though stared straight into them, unflinching and unyielding with his electric blue eyes. His opponent also had a giant gourd strapped to his back. Wil could only guess that whatever was inside that gourd was going to be used against him. Wil had a few weapons of surprise as well, though. His opponent stopped a few yards away from Wil as the referee walked up in between them. He was a leaf village ninja, Shikamaru Nara, the great strategist of the leaf. He strolled up with his hands in his pockets and his signature expression of udder boredom.

He raised his hands and pointed at each of them, then waved each of them to meet at the middle and shake hands. They both did as they were told and met in the center. Wil extended his arm out in a friendly gesture while maintaining eye contact. Wil smiled slightly to him, but his opponent kept staring at him. He kept the smile going until he walked back to his original spot.

"The rules are as follows," Shikamaru announced. "Each shinobi will fight to the best of their ability. The battle is over when one fighter is no longer able to continue. Let's have a good fight. Are the fighters ready?"

They both nodded slightly. Shikamaru didn't know, but they were both having a mental war with each other. Wil stared and evaluated his opponent. He heard from research and past rounds of the Chunin Exams that his name was Arenae of the desert. He was renown throughout the Sand Village for having an excellent grasp on ninjutsu and takes after his father, Gaara of the Desert. They both use a unique style of Jutsu that involves manipulating sand to make a nearly impenetrable defense and a very effective offense. That's what probably is in his gourd on his back. Wil would have to fight in close-quarters and quickly in order to land hits on Arenae. Wil had the upper hand in hand to hand combat, because he was also a renowned shinobi from the Hidden Leaf. He was described by the Sixth Hokage himself that he possesses the speed of the Fourth Hokage, who was known as the "Yellow Flash of the Leaf". He coincidently resembled him as well; same wild, blonde hair, deep blue eyes, and killer mentality on the battle field. In no time, Wil had also adopted the nickname of the "Yellow Flash".

There was something else that set Wil apart from other ninja. He could perform one of the Fourth Hokage's secret techniques: The Flying Thunder God Technique. That made him tied for the fastest ninja who ever lived, along with the Fourth and Sixth Hokage. He had come into the Chunin Exam with a lot of confidence that he would win, and now he was only one battle away from it. He finally broke into a more of a fighting stance by bending his knees and readying his hands. Arenae just stood there, though, but if Wil was right, he didn't need to have much of a stance if he used sand for his defense.

Shikamaru raised his hand about to signal the match to start. Wil could feel the ring on his hand tighten a little as the battle drew nearer. The referee dropped his hand and shouted, "Begin!"

Instantly, like a bullet fired from a gun, Arenae sprang into action. He sprang at Wil with astonishing speed for someone of such a body type with a regular kunai in hand. Wil was quicker to the draw though. When he saw even the first hint of movement, his ring on his left index finger transformed into his signature weapon: the kunai of the Flying Thunder God. It had a three-pronged blade for extra lethal hand to hand combat and superior throwing ability. On the handle was the seal for the Flying Thunder God technique that took Wil many years to decipher and use correctly. He expertly blocked the oncoming slash from Arenae's kunai. Wil stood his ground as his opponent wasn't that strong. The expression on Wil's went from friendly and warm to dead seriousness and stone cold determination. Arenae then began to push against Wil. Wil had underestimated his strength, but he pushed back with equal force. He needed to break this stalemate quickly, because it wasn't getting them anywhere. That's when the cork out of the gourd popped off and a large amount of sand flowed out from it. It started to circle in the air above the two deadlocked fighters. It swirled above Wil's head then it stopped abruptly. He sensed what was going to happen next and immediately pushed Arenae, breaking the hold right when the sand cloud shot down hundreds of sand bolts like rain. Wil skidded to a stop yards away when the cloud came in pursuit. It bolted toward him, but he expertly jumped high into the air to avoid it. When he was air born, Wil pulled out three more of the same kunai and threw them at Arenae. It was to no avail; the cloud of sand hardened and deflected the kunai. Wil landed and immediately started running laterally while pulling out more and more kunai and throwing them at Arenae. Arenae demonstrated his mastery over the sand to create a formidable defense against Wil's kunai. He waved his hands to where the kunai would strike and the sand would react instantaneously, blocking the kunai. Wil tried to throw at different angles, aiming for his feet or his head, but all the kunai fell short.

Wil now only had one kunai left, but he kept it in his pocket for later. With his hands he made a hand sign; it looked like a plus sign or a "t". he proclaimed, "Shadow clone Jutsu!"

Instantly, five clones of him poofed into existence around him. All at once, they charged at Arenae. They all shifted to confuse him as to which one was the _real_ Wil. With lightning speed two jumped in the air over Arenae and tried to attack him from above. They tried to kick him and throw their kunai, but a spear of sand shot straight through both of them. They dissipated into white smoke; two misses for Arenae. The other three spread out and tried to attack him at three different flanks. Arenae knew the real one had to be one of the remaining three. He decided, instead of taking them all out one at a time, he would take them out together. He knelt and pressed his hands to the ground hard and sand spikes shot up from the ground and impaled each of the clones. They stayed there for a second, but then poofed out of existence. Arenae smiled in triumph and slowly stood back up; all five clones have been neutralized. He had proved once again that no one could penetrate his defenses. Then something really disturbing came over him; where was the real one? Then it hit him, literally.

The real Wil burst out of the ground right below Arenae and delivered a powerful uppercut to his chin. He used the five clones as bait to lure Arenae into a trap. He hit him into the air, but didn't stop there. When he was air-born, Wil used his amazing speed to continue the onslaught. He turned a full circle and kicked Arenae right in the stomach and sent him flying into the far wall of the crater. He hit with a painful _THUD_. Wil hit the ground and smiled, he was able to penetrate Arenae's defenses right off the bat. He relaxed a little bit and stood straight up. He twirled his kunai on his fingers out of boredom. He looked at his opponent who was just beginning to stir.

"Come on! On your feet, we're not done yet," Wil chastised. "I know you have more fight in you."

He heard his opponent grunt and grumble as he slowly stood up. That's when Wil felt something climb onto his leg. He looked down and was faced with a horrible sight. His whole left foot was engulfed with sand. He tried to move away, but he was frozen there. Then the sand began to climb, up his leg and onto his body. He struggled against it, but soon enough, he was in a cocoon of sand that rose into the air. Wil started to panic, he couldn't move a muscle and his opponent was getting up. Arenae's arm was outstretched with his hand in a half clench like he was reaching toward Wil. He tried to free his arms, but the sand was too strong. Arenae strolled up to the struggling Wil, passed all the kunai that lay strewn across the ground with a smirk on his face.

"What are you smirking at?" Wil spat.

"Where's your fighting spirit?" he asked.

"Let me out of this thing and I'll show you,"

"I'm afraid I can't do that," he replied simply.

"And why is that?"

"Have you ever wondered why I was the favorite to win this year?" Arenae asked ominously. His smirk turned to an evil grin. "It's because my opponents never lived to fight another day."

Wil's eyes grew wide in terror. He knew this guy's reputation all too well. They don't call him the Phantom of the Desert for nothing. He was a crucial part of the Sand's assassination core ever since he was a little kid. He performed flawlessly in whatever he did; he just got a little blood thirsty. And Wil has a front row seat to Arenae's monstrosity. He looked in terror into his opponent's eyes. They were full of malice and disdain toward his enemy.

"It was nice knowing you," He said with a sinister tone and started to close his hand. In that split second Wil heard his brother.

_Don't give up!_ He was right, Wil couldn't give up now, and the match had only just begun! Arenae closed his hands and instantly crushed the giant sand coffin. The sand exploded and the whole crowd gasped in surprise at the horrific spectacle. Arenae smiled manically and lowered his hands. He had thought he just killed Wil, but he didn't care to notice what the crowd was gasping at.

"Miss me?" A voice came from behind Arenae. Wil had his last kunai across Arenae's neck. He was dumbfounded as to how Wil escaped the Sand Coffin, and then he looked on the ground. Strewn all across the ground were kunai that he had only heard about in legend, the Flying Thunder God Kunai.

"That's impossible," Arenae gasped.

"Yeah, I know, déjà vu, huh? It's over for you, Arenae," Wil said.

"Don't underestimate me, Yellow Flash," Arenae snapped. Just behind Wil, sand began to form into a sharp spear ready to impale him.

"Bastard," Wil grumbled and turned around to meet the spear head on. It flew at him, but he forced out his hand and molded some chakra. "Wind Style: Spiraling Wind Spears!" Instantly, dozens of chakra-laced wind spears met Arenae's sand spear, completely destroying it. Will jumped out of the way to a safe distance away from the sand manipulator.

Wil was in full on battle mode now, no more fooling around. He charged at Arenae once again. He punched with no hesitation and was barely blocked by sand. The force of the blow staggered the shocked Arenae and he stumbled back. Wil then teleported to a kunai behind him and successfully landed a kick in his back that sent him sideways. There was another kunai waiting for him where Wil teleported to and punched him in another direction. It was all too quick for Arenae to react and get a sand shield in the way. He kept punching and kicking Arenae until he landed a perfect uppercut to his chin that sent him soaring straight up. Wil threw one of his kunai up at him, but Arenae was oriented enough to use some sand to grab the kunai, but only to be met with Wil who teleported to it. He landed a series of combos to Arenae's center. Wil grabbed his kunai and kicked Arenae one last time in the stomach and sent him horizontally flying. Wil wasn't done yet, though; he threw his kunai at him, purposely missing him. He teleported behind him and raised his hands and made a giant fist with both of them. For a brief moment, he made eye contact with Arenae. It was probably the first time horror had crossed Arenae's face. Wil felt no remorse toward him; Arenae was a monster who could harm his friends, and no one harmed Wil's friends. Wil brought his giant fist on Arenae's head and sent him hurdling down towards the ground. He hit with such force that he kicked up a giant cloud of dust. Wil teleported to a kunai back down on the ground in the swirling dust cloud. He focused on where Arenae had landed and waited for the dust to clear.

When it finally cleared he saw Arenae lying in a crater with cracked and crushed stone all around him. He lay motionless within the debris as Wil cautiously stepped toward him. He looked down to get a better look; he was beaten up pretty badly with multiple bruises, blood on his face, and possible broken bones. There was something wrong with the picture though. Then Wil saw it; Arenae's eyes burst open and instantly a large stream of sand hit Wil and sent him flying. He was quick enough to put his arms up in a defensive position when the sand hit, but it was like a steel wall with the force of a meteor and sent him flying to the far wall of the arena. He oriented himself in mid-air and landed softly on the wall and used his chakra to keep him up.

The dust was gone and he saw Arenae slowly rise up on a platform of sand. He held out his arms and starting forming hand signs. Wil was shocked to even see him upright, and then he looked closer. His skin seemed to be cracking like ice on a lake. It was breaking off and dissolving in to sand; Sand armor. With each hand sign Arenae performed, more sand began to collect around him forming a huge protective sphere around him. He must've been injured so he's retreating to some kind of defense, Wil thought. The sphere became denser and denser until it lowered to the ground. He wasn't done yet though, another sphere, miniscule compared to the other one, was forming on the outside. It formed into a giant floating eye. Wil guessed it was to watch him if he tried to attack; very impressive. Wil would have to be very cautious on this one. His sphere wasn't there for looks, it probably had some booby-traps as well.

Like he always did, he sent shadow-clones into the field of battle first. He had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport him and all his clones to different kunai and start attacking. They all tried to kick and punch, while flipping over it or stabbing it with kunai; and sure enough giant spikes shot out of the sphere that impaled some of the shadow clones making them disappear. Wil, being blessed with instantaneous reflexes, was able to dodge the spikes that came for him among the shadow clones. As the clones thinned, more spikes attacked, so he was forced to retreat more and more. Finally, over five were coming for him at once. He tried to block the first few, but one caught him in the shoulder, ripping it partially open. His arm instantly became numb and he had no choice but to retreat and teleport to the farthest kunai and out of harm's way. He then jumped up one of the walls to catch his breath.

He clenched his shoulder in an attempt to stop the throbbing pain, but the spike drew blood and his arm went numb. Arenae's defenses were formidable for sure, but through Wil's training, he had learned that no matter how strong a defense is, there is always a weak point. He saw the ball's first line of defense, the spikes that flew at anything that attacked, but they weren't doing that by themselves; he was somehow controlling them from the inside. Then Wil saw the floating eye. Arenae must be using the eye to see where Wil was and counter using the spikes. Wil had to get rid of the eye in order to even have a chance at breaching Arenae's defenses. A slight smile formed on Wil's face as he formed the perfect plan in his head.

_Wil,_ his sister's voice chimed in his head. She sounded alarmed and had a scolding tone. _I know what you're thinking and I'd advise against._

_She's right,_ Jake, his brother added. _You haven't even mastered that technique yet._

_Well I guess there's no better time to learn it then,_ Wil said slyly.

_Wil, don't try it, what if it backfires? Then what?_ His sister asked concerned.

_Ashley, sometimes you have to run before you can walk,_ and with that, Wil pushed off the wall into the air and used the same hand sign as before to make this time ten shadow clones. They all flew down toward the sand sphere with kunai out and at the ready. They shuffled around again as they sprinted toward the sphere. The eye snapped toward the mass of shadow clones, fixed on them. Then the spikes hit, shooting out of the ball like javelins. But these clones weren't that dumb. They jumped and dodged the spikes without losing a beat and continued their pursuit. When they were about twenty yards away, they scattered and attacked. The third eye frantically moved around to keep track of all the clones. The spikes finally caught up with the speed of the clones and impaled a few, making them poof.

The third eye was so busy with the clones at hand that it forgot to watch its own back. The real Wil appeared out of thin air right behind the eye and slashed straight through it. His blade cut through it like butter, disintegrating into tiny sand particles that scattered in the wind. Phase one of Wil's plan was complete; but there was something that happened that he didn't expect. When the eye was destroyed, the sphere erupted in spikes that randomly shot out. It was a futile attempt though, with the impossibly fast reflexes he possesses, he was able to use the Flying Thunder God technique and teleport away to a safe distance. Arenae was probably furious in his little ball of protection, Wil thought.

Wil didn't waste any time initiating phase two of his plan. The second phase was the hardest though. The first phase was destroying the Third eye that oversaw everything, but also to plant a Flying Thunder God seal onto the sphere, which he did while the clones were busy distracting him. With that in place, he could perform the second part of his plan. He held out his hand with his palm up and concentrated. Wil molded chakra into his left hand, concentrating it and spinning it. He bright yellow ball began to form in his palm, a perfect sphere of super condensed, spinning chakra. He focused harder and the ball grew a little bigger. You could see little golden entrails of Wil's chakra swirling around it as the chakra became more condensed. It finally stabilized and a smile crept onto Wil's face. He snapped his attention to the sand sphere hiding Arenae. It was about time to break his "unbreakable defense".

Wil jumped off the wall with such force that it cracked and flew toward Arenae at top speed. He hit the ground and bolted, making a dust trail. He was wielding his secret technique with his left hand in striking position. Spikes shout of Arenae's defenses right towards Wil, but he anticipated that and effortlessly dodged them. They weren't nearly as accurate without the eye, but as he drew closer, they became so. Time seemed to slow down in the last second of the battle. Wil brought the ball of spinning chakra forward ready to strike, but three spikes started to fly at him. Just before they hit, Wil teleported to where the seal _behind_ the sphere and shouted, "RASENGAN!"

The explosion from the little ball of chakra was astounding. When the Jutsu hit the sand, it exploded outward, transferring its energy throughout the whole ball, ripping it to shreds. Arenae was blasted out of the ball as well, all the way to the other side of the battlefield. Jake sat back in his seat and folded his arms. Wil was always full of surprises, and this was one of his most explosive. Ashley was jumped up and down, shouting with the crowd for her brother. Jake was proud of his brother and thought to himself, why not? He jumped up and started to cheer with the rest of the crowd in excitement. Ashley was so energetic that she jumped on his back, and shouted, "Way to go, Wil!"

Wil was still standing in the last position he was in when he perfected the Rasengan. His eyes were still narrowed and hardened with killer intent, but when he noticed his success, he relaxed. The sphere of sand was completely obliterated and a large trail of debris led up to an indent of a human at the far wall of the arena. There, Arenae stayed plastered against the wall, completely defeated. Wil finally gathered himself and looked around the arena. The crowd was cheering louder than ever before. He could hear them chanting his name, "Wil-helm! Wil-helm! Wil-helm!"

_You did it, little bro,_ He heard Jake's voice ring in his head with pride.

_Way to go, Wil!_ Came his sister's voice as loud as ever. _You mastered the Rasengan! I'm so proud of you. If you were up here I would so hug you right now!_

_Thanks guys,_ Wil said telepathically. He was exhausted from the battle.

Shikamaru walked into the center of circle and surveyed each fighter. He looked at Arenae in his decrepit state. Then he looked at Wil, who was breathing hard out of exhaustion but was still well on his feet. He had finally made his decision and said, "Arenae of the Sand is no longer able to fight. Our winner is Wilhelm of the Leaf!"

Above the crowd, looking down at the action and the victory, the Hokage sat in his chair of honor alongside the Kazekage of the Village Hidden in the Sand who was the host to these exams this year. He and the Kazekage, Gaara, have been friends since their first Chunin Exams. Gaara had become Kazekage way before Naruto has, but nevertheless, they have treated each other as equals. Ever since Naruto had finally achieved the Hokage status, they have secretly placed bets on who would win each year's exams. This year it went all the way to the finals. Gaara, since he was a father now, went with his son Arenae to win the whole Tournament. Naruto on the other hand picked Wil. This time, it looked like Naruto had won. They both turned their heads slightly to look at each other. Naruto had a wide smile on his face while Gaara's expression was disappointment over the loss of the bet.

"Pay up," Naruto said cheerfully and held out his hand. Gaara just reached in his ceremonial robe and pulled out a single gold piece and flipped over to him. Naruto caught it and examined it to determine its authenticity. "Thanks!"

"Next year, Naruto Uzumaki," Gaara promised, seeking his redemption.

"We'll see about that," Naruto shot back with a more competitive grin on his face.

"You're all out of triplets," Gaara pointed out. It was true; Wilhelm was the last of the famous triune of the Leaf. The first was his brother, Jakob. He was a natural prodigy and the eldest of the three. He had a very unique power that let him breeze through the Exams without so much as a scratch. The second was their sister and middle triplet, Ashley. She was the most mysterious of the three. She was able to use Jutsu of all the different elements: fire, water, earth, wind, and lightning. She adapted quickly to all of her opponents and rose to victory. And the last was Wilhelm, the unpredictable. He had risen through the academy having a mastery of space-time ninjutsu that has never been seen since the Fourth Hokage. He also mastered Yondaime's secret technique, The Flying Thunder God Technique. Now he was here in the finals of the Chunin Exams having mastered the Rasengan. He reminded the Hokage of himself in a lot of ways; the undying hope he had and how he never gave up on anything or anyone. He had no doubt that he would win this year.

"That may be so, but the Wil of Fire burns brightly in all of the generations to come," Naruto looked to the sky and even though it was day time and the sun dominated the sky, he could still remember that night 15 years ago when he had first received the triplets. Three new stars, a triune of light were illuminated in the night sky. They were like beacons to a new evil that it would not exist without being opposed. He just hoped that the triplets were up to the challenge.


	2. Chapter 2

Wil felt he was on top of the world when he was declared the winner. The crowd was ecstatic that a leaf ninja had won for the third consecutive time. He was showered in roses as well. It was the first time that so many people were cheering for him before. He was always an outcast in his year. He never really had any friends, except for his brother and sister of course. Now he felt that he was finally accepted by his peers and liked for a change. Shikamaru came closer to Wil and raised his hand showing that he was the victor as the medical ninjas silently took Arenae away in a stretcher. Shikamaru leaned in closer and whispered something in Wil's ear.

"Now comes the hardest part," He whispered loud in Wil's ear. His tone didn't sound too inviting either.

"What do you mean?" Wil didn't understand the reference. Wasn't the hardest part already over? He had already beaten everyone in the tournament, and he was being told there was more?

"You have to be evaluated by the Hokage," Shikamaru grimly stated. He couldn't have been more right. Wil swallowed hard; the Hokage would not give him a free pass to becoming a Chunin. He would have to be as sharp as his own kunai in order to even have a chance in a battle of wits against Naruto.

Then suddenly, Shikamaru pulled away and put his finger on his ear. Wil could see that he was listening to his earpiece. From how he was listening intently, he was probably receiving important news from someone. He nodded and said, "Understood."

He turned back to Wil with a relieved expression. "It looks like you won't be going in there alone."

"What do you mean?" Wil asked confused.

"You and your team are instructed to meet with the Hokage at once," Shikamaru explained.

"Okay, cool!" Was all Wil could say. His spirits were once again lifted and now he could celebrate again. He waved at the fans and caught glimpses of his former classmates and finally his siblings. His sister was jumping up and down hysterically, chatting with the people around her; while Jake was standing there with his arms crossed and a big smile on his face. Wil locked eyes with his brother and gave him a thumbs up. Jake replied with his own and then Ashley saw Wil and started waving to him joyfully. Wil chuckled a little and waved back.

"Come on, super star," Shikamaru said. "We have to get you to the Hokage before the spectators get to you first. We also need to get that shoulder patched up."

Wil looked at his shoulder. When he was grazed by one of the sand spikes, it tore into it. It wasn't too serious, but his arm was starting to go numb the more he thought of it. What was fascinating was that the blood had stopped already. He reluctantly followed Shikamaru into the tunnel away from the crowd. Inside the tunnel waiting for him was his sensei, Kakashi Hatake.

"Hey, kiddo," He said as he matched Shikamaru and Wil's stride. He looked happy and proud of Wil, even if you could only see a small portion of his face. He wore a mask that covered the bottom of his face all the way over his nose. His forehead protector was also slanted down to cover his left eye where he kept his Sharingan hidden from the world until he was ready to use it. "How's the shoulder?"

"I'll live," Wil said and tried to move it, but flinched in pain. "Though, some medicine wouldn't hurt."

"We'll get you to a medical ninja soon enough," Shikamaru reassured him. He then turned to Kakashi. "Kakashi, long time no see."

"Likewise, what are you doing nowadays, Shikamaru?" He asked starting a casual conversation. This must have been a recurring thing, because now, with the win prior, all of his students have won the Chunin Exams.

"You know, running errands for Naruto, managing this. It's such a drag," He never sounded too thrilled about anything whenever Wil was around Shikamaru. "I see you have been busy the last couple of years though. Is Wil your last student to pass the Chunin exams?"

"Yup, Jake, Ashley, and now Wil. They do not disappoint," He said and smiled (or that's what Wil thought) at him. They finally turned a corner that entered a locker room where a medical team was waiting for Wil.

They immediately set to work on his shoulder, cleaning off the dried up blood and patching it up. One medical ninja, the captain by the looks, looked surprised about the injury. "Fascinating, from what I saw this injury would definitely need stitches. But it has practically sealed itself up already."

Wil shrugged. It was no surprise to him that it was almost fully healed. He and his siblings have remarkable healing abilities that have puzzled the doctors here ever since Wil had learned how to throw a shuriken.

"I have to leave you now," Shikamaru said. "There is some other business I have to tend to."

They waved him good-bye and when he left, Kakashi sat down on one of the benches and pulled out his book to start reading. It was silent for a few minutes as the medical team patched up Wil's shoulder. They were there for about five minutes, which was shorter than they expected because he didn't need stitches. They left without a fuss, leaving Wil alone with his sensei.

An awkward silence fell and Wil looked in his locker for a new shirt. His navy blue shirt was shredded up and he couldn't be in the presence of the Hokage looking like that. He found another, identical shirt and slipped it on, careful of his shoulder. He didn't want to reopen the wound.

"So you mastered the Rasengan," Kakashi said without lifting his head from the book.

"Yup! What did you think?" Wil asked with a smile on his face.

"It certainly lives up to its reputation," Kakashi sensei stated. "But like everything else, there is always room for improvement. It took the fourth Hokage three years trying to perfect it. It wasn't until his son the Sixth Hokage finally perfected it."

He was right; the Rasengan was the signature technique to the fourth and sixth Hokage. There were stories of how they could make mammoth balls of swirling and spinning chakra. The sixth Hokage could also throw his sometimes. He certainly had a lot to learn.

"Speaking of the Hokage, why do we have to meet with him?" Wil asked as he decided to change his whole outfit and moved to the other side of the lockers to change.

"He has asked for our whole team's audience," Kakashi said, but his voice faded away, probably because he was too busy reading his book, Wil thought.

"For what?" Wil asked impatiently as he slipped on a new pair of pants.

"What?" Kakashi asked startled.

"Why did the Hokage ask for our audience?" Wil asked again. He stepped out from behind the lockers just as he was tying his headband. His sensei was sitting up, but he knew before that, he was laying down dozing off.

"Oh, you'll see," He simply stated and slowly lied back down to his original position. To an outsider, Kakashi sensei really doesn't look like much of a shinobi. He's lazy, always late to training, and is always reading his pervy little books. Wil never doubted his elite status for a minute though. He knew that he had trained the Hokage and played a major role in two of the last Shinobi World Wars. He was one of the best ninja alive.

"Fine…" Wil could only comply with Kakashi. "Where are my brother and sister?"

"They should be waiting outside the locker room if I'm not mistaken," Kakashi said as he slowly sat back up. They both walked to the doors and out into the tunnel. On the other side, leaning against the wall were Wil's siblings, Jake and Ashley. They were talking quietly over all the commotion that could be heard funneling from above the tunnel. Ashley was certainly excited about something as she was using excessive hand gestures and even in the faint light of the tunnel, you could still see her eyes glow a brilliant green out of the darkness. She wore her signature orange, sleeveless button up shirt that was always buttoned down a little too much for Wil's comfort. Under that as well as on her arms was a mesh, fishnet piece of clothing. She had tight, black pants on with a belt that had an orange spiral design on the buckle. Her headband was on her neck like a necklace and her scarlet red hair was tied back in a ponytail, reaching down to about her waist.

Wil had always thought highly of his sister. She was insanely popular throughout the village and she was super nice and friendly to everyone…That is if you didn't face her on the battlefield. Some girls in their year were always jealous of how pretty his sister was. She never ceased to amaze Wil and Jake with her fashion and it kept all the other guys staring with their eyes and mouths wide. With so many suitors, it surprised Wil that she doesn't have a boyfriend. Her personality goes hand in hand with the color of her hair. She was always so energetic and joyful that whenever Wil was around her, he couldn't help but smile.

Next to her, with his arms folded and back against the wall was Wil's cool brother Jake. He was bigger than Wil, taller and broader. He had jet black hair with piercing silver eyes. Jake sported a Jounin Flak Jacket and traditional shinobi apparel. His headband was tied on his left arm like a brace. He was the cooler one of the group, but deeply motivated. Compared to his sister, he was like a mime. He was presumably the oldest out of the three and played the role perfectly. He was exactly what he should be, the protective, wise, older brother. He was insanely talented as well, reaching Jounin status at the age of 14, only two years ago. Wil was never once jealous of his accomplishments, he and his sister only thought of it as an opportunity to hone their skills. And she had done a better job than Wil; she reached the Jounin status only a year after Jake and Wil just became a Chunin. He was lagging behind and had to pick up the slack.

When Wil caught Ashley's eye, even his incredible speed wouldn't save him. "WIL!" She shouted with so much joy and flew at him. The force she emitted knocked both of them to the ground with her sitting on top of him. Ashley had pinned his arms and started kissing him so many times around his face.

"Ashley… Stop it!" He whined while trying to squirm free. But there was no escaping Ashley's grip once she has caught you and Wil was the smallest of the triune so he was easier to grab a hold of.

"I'm so proud of you!" She said in between smooches. She then squeezed him, making his back crack a little. He could barely reach into his back pocket and toss out a kunai off to the side of him far enough away from Ashley. He then teleported to it and escaped her grasp. Wil scrambled to get up, but Ashley was on him in no time. She grabbed him in a very embracive hug. Wil's head was squished between her arms and her soft, warm chest. Wil tried to say something, but the sound was muffled by her breasts.

"I can't believe you won the whole Chunin Exams! I mean I never doubted you for a second, but that Arenae fellow was pretty tough. Though I knew you could take him because you are the fastest shinobi alive…." She continued to ramble on when Jake finally stepped in.

"Okay, Ashley. I think Wil's had enough love for one day," He said and pried him away from her grasp. Wil's face was full of lipstick marks and he was breathing hard from the asphyxiation from his sister's breasts.

"Or the whole week," Wil commented out of breath. "A simple hug would have sufficed."

"Sorry, I was just so excited for you!" she said while jumping up and down. "It was so cool watching you hand it to those other ninjas like it was nothing! You really have come far, Wil."

She continued to jump around in celebration when Jake whispered in Wil's ear. "She's right, we are all proud of your achievement."

"Thanks, bro," He smiled up at him and they fist bumped.

"Okay, I take it you are done celebrating?" Kakashi asked finally making an appearance in the conversation.

"I hope so," Wil said. "I don't think I could withstand another boob strangling from Ashley." Jake chuckled a little.

"Hey!" Ashley shouted. She was blushing and covering her chest. "Don't make fun of a girl's chest."

"Sorry, Ashley," Wil said stifling a laugh while high-fiving his brother. Her face was flushed with red from embarrassment and frustration and she walked over to the both of them and squarely slapped them both on the cheek.

"What was that for?" they both said in unison.

"There, now that we have that all figured out," Kakashi sensei interjected again. "The Hokage is expecting us, we best be on our way."

"Why does he want to meet with us anyways?" Jake asked curiously.

"All will be revealed when we get up to the Kage's quarters," Kakashi stated.

Yes, sir," They all said solemnly. They started walking out of the tunnel. Wil was in the middle of his two, taller siblings. They both put their arms around his shoulders. Wil looked up at the two; their faces held large, beaming smiles directed toward him. He smiled up at them, and that smile would soon increase the closer they got to the exit. The muffled sounds of the crowd outside the exit grew louder with every step. They were no doubt cheering in anticipation for Wil's appearance. He had never felt this feeling before. All his life, he was the one who was underappreciated by his sibling's accomplishments. Ashley had become one of the Leaf's top Medical Ninjas and Jake had become one of the chief field analysts and was offered to join the Anbu Black Ops at the age of 14. These incredible feats have always undermined Wil and had people looking over him and at his siblings, literally. Now, it seems that the spotlight was finally on him.

A door was outlined in light marking the beginning of the frenzy that Wil was sure to take place once he was outside. His heart rate increased, as if he was about to enter another battle. He started to sweat a little more, but having his brother and sister by his side calmed him down a little more. They finally reached the door that was practically vibrating from all the commotion that was outside. Wil took a deep breath and pulled away from his siblings. He put his hands on the shivering door and pushed it open.

Warm, desert light rushed to fill the darkness of the tunnel. It was also accompanied by the roars and shouts of all the Leaf's supporters. The door opened up to a sky-walk above the main area where all the fans gathered underneath. They were all looking up and cheering for Wil, and all he could do was wave back and smile. He could see all the students from his year in one cluster waving up at him and clapping. For once he had finally felt accepted by them. He continued to walk along the bridge toward the second part of the arena where the more esteemed guests were seated. There were Daimyos and wealthy land owners who obtained these seats to watch their new shinobi protectors evolve. It was practically empty now, mostly likely because they were evacuated before the huge wave of people smothered them. This place was right under the Hokage and the Kazekage's box seats where they always sat side by side to portray the friendship the two nations share. He had hoped they were not too late.

Wil finally pulled away from the crowd and walked through the much quieter wing of the arena. They took many flights of stairs to the top of the section. Wil was starting to push the thoughts of his adoring fans in the back of his mind as new thoughts started to set in. He wondered what the Hokage thought of his performance on the battlefield. Was he worthy to become Chunin? What would happen if he did become one? What if he didn't? He immediately erased all doubt in his head. Of course he would become a Chunin, he had to. Arenae had as much skill and knowledge as Wil had so there was no doubt that he would become a Chunin as well. With every step of the way up, his emotions clashed inside of him, but he hid them behind a stone face.

He finally reached the top of the stairs and down a corridor. He occasionally glanced back to see if the rest of his team was still following. Sure enough, all three of them were walking side by side behind him for support. Wil had finally reached the door to the Hokage's box. Out of respect, he knocked on the door three times.

"Come in!" He heard a voice shout from the other side. It was the Hokage's voice. Wil gulped and turned to his siblings.

_You'll do great,_ Ashley reassured him telepathically.

_Show the Hokage what you can do,_ Jake added.

Wil put on a happier smile after that brief pep-talk and opened the door. The Kage's box wasn't all that impressive considering what it could be. The room was large and very spacious, with a personal bar dominating the lower-left side of the room. An attendant was cleaning glasses and doing inventory. The rest of the room was empty except for a chair by the balcony. It wasn't even a throne like chair either, just a simple one carved out of a large slab of stone. It was engraved and painted with the leaf's emblems and colors. From the back, it was hard to see if anyone was sitting in it, but there was as Wil could see hands resting on the armrests. Wil slowly walked to the center of the room and waited.

"It seems like only yesterday I had watched your brother and sister battle their way through the Chunin Exams," The Hokage finally said.

Wil said nothing; his throat was too dry to speak. The Hokage slowly stood up from his stone seat. His abundance of spiky, blonde hair glistened in the desert sun that made it glow a warm yellow. His blue eyes were energetic and caring, but also serious when the time came. He had his six signature whisker scars on his cheeks to make him look like a fox. Wil looked almost identical to the Hokage, except for the whisker scars and the age factor. Wil stood at stiff attention while the Hokage was talking.

"They sliced through the competition unlike any shinobi I've ever seen come out of your year," Naruto continued. "They both possessed unique powers that have opened my aging eyes. Truly gifted ninja they were."

"Yes, sir," Wil agreed. It was true, his brother and sister were top of the class, elite ninja. Yet, he wondered if the only reason that Naruto had called him up here was to brag about his siblings' achievements.

"But that era has passed. Now it's your turn to prove yourself to not only me, but to your peers and Kakashi sensei," He walked passed Wil and to the bar where the bartender poured him a concoction. He took a sip and continued, "And you never cease to amaze."

This brought that smile back to Wil's face as well as the Hokage's. "And by the way that demonstration of your mastery over Flying Thunder God Technique shows that you have immense prowess in space-time ninjutsu. And the way you finally nailed the Rasengan. You made me proud."

Surprisingly, he held out his fist and Wil fist bumped it. When he and his brother and sister were growing up, they were under the guidance of Kakashi sensei and the Hokage Naruto himself. He was the one who started Wil on the Rasengan. They have a really good relationship, almost father and son like.

"Thank you," Was all Wil could muster, his face had turned a bright red. He always felt embarrassed whenever he was complimented. "So, what now? Do I become a Chunin now or what?"

The Hokage laughed. "Yes, but before we make the final decision, we need the rest of your team present."

As if on cue, the door opened and in popped the rest of his team. Ashley still had that giant smile on her face but when Jake entered, his face turned expressionless when confronted by the Hokage. Kakashi walked in leisurely behind them and casually saluted Naruto. They all joined Wil behind him. The Hokage faced all of them.

"Now that we are all here," The Hokage began. "Team Seven, I would like to formally introduce you to your new Chunin, Wilhelm."

Wil felt like a giant weight was lifted from his shoulders, only to be replaced by Ashley who jumped on them out of sheer joy. Jake smiled at the two who were laughing together and Kakashi watched over them with care.

"Now off with you, get some rest," The Hokage said with bright smile. "I expect you three to be ready for your next mission in 48 hours."

They all snapped to attention and shouted in unison, "Yes, sir!" And they all flickered away. All but Kakashi.

The Hokage went back to his chair to overlook the stadium. He looked deep in thought. Kakashi was standing right behind his chair, also deep in thought.

"They grow up so fast," The Hokage said while gazing over the arena and to the sandy horizon beyond.

"Yes they do," Kakashi agreed. "Do you remember your Chunin Exams?"

"All too well," Naruto said grimly. During his Exams, the Leaf Village was attacked by joint Sand and Sound Village Ninja all under the influence of the infamous Sannin Orochimaru. Many things, mostly disastrous, happened that day. Two things above all stuck in his head. He remembered the Third Hokage, Gramps as he referred him, was killed while trying to seal Orochimaru's soul away. He had succeeded in rendering his arms useless, but died in the process. The whole village mourned for such a powerful and wise shinobi's passing. The second thing that stuck was the memory of Gaara. When he first encountered him, he was an estranged and bloodthirsty kid with a crazy tailed beast trapped inside him. Gaara finally went crazy when he faced off with Sasuke who was the second person in history to hit him. He was moved away from the village before he went berserk, but he was run down by Sasuke and Naruto. In a glorious battle that involved the One-Tailed Shukaku and Gamabunta, Chief Toad, he finally defeated Gaara and they became friends.

"I'm so glad they didn't have to go through any of that," He added.

"Yeah, that was no picnic," Kakashi agreed. Then Kakashi asked the question that has been pondering both their minds for some time. "Do you think they are ready?"

"For what?" Naruto asked, but he knew what Kakashi was talking about.

"The truth," Kakashi's words came out laced in silver. It reminded Naruto of that night so many years ago meeting the Goddess Hera again. He had met her before, but that had been in times of darkness. Now she was back with a graver message this time. She had spoken of invoking an ancient evil that Naruto had been convinced had only existed in legend; but over the past years, the triplets and Kakashi have taught him that at the beginning of every legend is a grain of truth. He had thought d

"They must be told of their destiny," Kakashi pressed. "Before it's too late; I have been watching the stars, they have been growing closer and closer together with the passage of the days. It's only a matter of time until they completely align."

"How long do we have?" Naruto asked.

"A week tops," Kakashi confirmed. "When they do, they must be ready."

"And they will be," Naruto told him. He never tore his gaze away from the horizon for a second. "Give them a couple days of recuperation and celebration. Wil deserves a few days with his friends."

Kakashi remembered the face of young Wilhelm and how ecstatic he looked when he dealt the finishing blow to the Kazekage's own son. His brother and sister were equally as happy (though Ashley showed it a little more than either of them) and it in turn made Kakashi feels proud of his students to come so far. He recalled memories of his days when he was training Naruto. He surely had his hands full with him and his teammates Sasuke and Sakura. He now revels at how far each of them had gone, exceeding everyone before them. When he looked at his three new students, he saw only the reincarnation of them in the present day. He wondered what surprises were to come with Jake, Ashley, and Wil.

It took a little bit to realize that Kakashi was staring blankly into the arena. He snapped back to reality and looked at the Hokage.

"Right, I should make sure that they don't go overboard with their 'celebrations'," Kakashi said while dismissing himself.

"Don't be too hard on them, Kakashi Sensei," Naruto cautioned as he stood up. He had a smile on his face, remembering the times when Kakashi was the "buzz-kill" during training back in the day. "They are, after all, kids."

"I won't try," Kakashi said and started walking out of the room.


	3. Chapter 3

Before the finals began, Wil had strategically planted a Flying Thunder God Kunai in their home so all he needed to do was hold onto his brother and sister and teleport to their house back in the Leaf Village. They landed in the middle of the basement of their home. It was a wide, square room with countless FTG kunai hanging on the ceiling and scattered on the walls. The ceiling itself was pretty high for a basement and there was a cement staircase behind the three that led up to the main floor of the house. To their right was a large workstation with a wide wooden desk with many inkwells and pens and unfinished scrolls. To either side of the desk was a tall bookcase full of scrolls. At the very back of the room, against the wooden walls was a bed that looked like it was plastered with half opened scrolls. Wil took a deep breath, inhaling the scents of fresh paper as well as scented candles that Ashley had put in random places around the room.

"Home sweet home," Wil said gratefully. He walked over to his bed cleared off some of the scrolls that had been lying on there. He was researching a rare type of Jutsu called space-time ninjutsu. All the scrolls on his bed were either some notes he had taken on the subject or information banks about space-time ninjutsu.

"You really have to organize yourself sometime," Ashley admonished.

"Last time I checked, this was my room," Wil shot back. He had a joking tone in his voice and he winked at his sister.

"Just… Go take a nap or something," She said, her face was almost as red as her hair.

"Good idea," Wil agreed.

"You're impossible," She grumbled.

"Where are you going?" Wil asked with a sly smile on his face.

"I'm going to take a shower; it was really dry in the desert!" She shouted. Wil thought she just wanted to get away from everyone as well.

"Jeez, what's got her so bunched up?" Wil asked Jake. He slowly lied down on his bed.

"She's a girl, and you know how they are," Jake hinted. "Their brains are like Labyrinths."

"True that," Wil agreed while putting a scroll over his eyes as he began to doze off.

"Have a good rest," Jake told him. "Your friends will be here soon to carry you away for some random party."

"They're our friends," Wil corrected. "You forget that we are in the same year, others just don't excel at the same pace as you do."

Jake had forgotten that he was Jounin already while most people his age are just becoming Chunin. Wil always kept him grounded, or "humbled" as he puts it. And Jake needs that from time to time; though there are certain cases where being a Jounin does come in handy.

"It doesn't matter who they are," Jake countered. "What does matter is that they're here to celebrate you. I'd enjoy it while you can, the Hokage told us to be ready in the next 48 hours."

"That's plenty of time!" Wil exclaimed.

Jake couldn't help but smile a little. They might have been triplets but he was the eldest, even if only by a few minutes. He couldn't help but admire his little brother's optimism. He always seemed calm when faced with a problem, whatever it may be. It was one trait that Jake wished he had. He had always relied on his special power and his knack to think logical; which unfortunately didn't help with his panic situation.

"I'm going to be upstairs if you need me," Jake told Wil. Wil just pointed to his head, signaling that he would call him telepathically if he ever needed assistance. Jake slowly backed away and headed up the stairs to the rest of the house.

Wil was faced with a tough decision: should he stay up and continue research on his Space-Time Ninjutsu, or take a nap? His body made the decision for him. When he had lied down on his bed, his body refused to get back up and do anything active. He barely managed to pull a scroll over his eyes so he could sleep better. He immediately dozed off when he was done talking to Jake.

His nap was dreamless and rejuvenating, but was cut short by a gentle nudge on his shoulder. His hand instinctively reached for the hand that was touching his shoulder. It was soft and smooth, very feminine to the touch.

"Not now, Ashley, in the middle of something…" He groaned groggily.

"It's me, silly," Said the feminine figure, but it was not the one Wil had anticipated. He removed the scroll from his eyes and he was face to face with the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

The first thing he saw was her eyes. They were the most brilliant blue and seem to sparkle with joy whenever he gazed into them. They were set on the most delicate and gorgeous face. Her skin glowed a pale tan color. Her hair flowed off her head and out in two ponytails like waterfalls of liquid gold. Her bangs covered her Leaf Village headband that had long tails of cloth that fell to her waist. She stood only inches from Wil's bed, so he could smell her perfume, the intoxicating aroma of citrus.

"Nanako?" Wil exclaimed in surprise. "What—how did you—what's going on?"

She giggled happily. Her cheeks were flushed with a pretty pink. "I didn't get a chance to congratulate you back at the Sand Village, so I stopped by here."

Wil couldn't help but blush a little bit at the fact that his crush was in his room. Ever since the first day of the academy, he had had a secret crush on Nanako Uzumaki. "Oh, w-well thank you"

Her smile beamed down on him. "You are very welcome, but this is no time to be lazy. You should be outside, partying with your friends!"

"I think I'd rather be lazy," Wil countered. He was still really groggy from his nap, and he wasn't nearly dressed for partying.

She thought of that for a second, looking at the wall thoughtfully. Wil thought it was it was cute how she bit her lip whenever she thought hard about something. "I have the perfect idea for a party! We could go out for barbecue. I bet I could persuade your brother into treating us. But first things first, we need to get you out of that drab outfit."

With that, she grabbed Wil's arm and yanked him out of bed hard enough to spring him to his feet with a yelp. She dragged him to his large dresser opposite the wall of his desk. He didn't notice what she was wearing until now. She wore her signature orange and black track jacket that was always short on her so you could see her stomach even through the tails. It was also zipped down in the front a little too much, which made all the other guys (even Jake at some moments) stare at her chest; but it didn't seem to bother her, and Wil respected her for that. She wore matching short shorts with some mesh extensions for protection of her legs.

After Wil was done quietly obsessing about her awesome attire, he was snapped back into reality. Nanako had begun to dig through his wardrobe for something decent to put on him. She started with the drawers first, pulling an article of clothing, inspecting it, and either throwing it away from them or at Wil's face. "What are you doing?" He just got out before he received a mouthful of boxers.

"I guess we're going to have to start from the inside out," She declared while ripping through another drawer and tossing him some socks. Wil didn't like the sound of that at all, or the fact that she was rummaging through his clothes.

"Maybe I could try and…" But he was cut off once again by a shirt.

"There has got to be something presentable in here for you to wear," she thought out loud, completely unaware of Wil's feelings. In less than thirty seconds, she had managed to go through all eight of the drawers in the dresser and strewn almost all of his clothes around the room. Although it was a very entertaining performance, Ashley wouldn't be very happy if she saw the state of his room. He saw Nanako reach for the handle to open one of the two doors to his "good" clothes and he sprang into action.

His hand slipped under hers and grabbed the handle first. Her hand then rested on his and they both locked eyes. At first she was mad that he stopped her, but that anger was melted from her eyes by Wil's gaze. His eyes were so full of compassion and strength, it made anyone who met his gaze hesitate; but with Nanako, it made her freeze in her tracks. She always got lost in that deep blue color. She couldn't help but blush, and neither could Wil. When their eyes locked it was like the world stopped spinning. He slowly moved his hand from the handle to Nanako's in one subtle movement. A jolt of excitement surged through each of them. He raised both their hands slowly and interlocked his fingers with hers. Her hand was warm and soft in his. A gentle smile grew on Wil's face that rendered Nanako completely helpless.

"Let me take it from here," He said softly. All she could do was slowly nod and found her backing away from the dresser.

Wil slowly let go of her hand and started to open the door. In this part of his dresser were the clothes that he would only wear for ceremonies or special occasions. One polo shirt that he was very fond of was hanging up right in plain sight. It was mainly white, but on the very ends of the sleeves and the shirt, it had an orange flame design. On the back was the village's signature orange spiral. He dug out matching khaki shorts. He took all of his gathered clothes and headed behind the changing screen when he noticed that Nanako started to follow. He nicely looked back and gave her a look that seemed to say: It was really nice for you to help out, but I can change by myself. She blushed and avoided eye contact as she sat back down on his bed.

As Wil started to change, Nanako tried to start a conversation by asking, "So, how are Jake and Ashley?"

"They're fine," Wil replied emotionless. "Same old, same old; always brilliant."

"I heard Jake was offered a place in the ANBU Black Ops? That must be a pretty big honor," She said. "I mean it's not like you get those offers every day, right?"

"Yeah, but he doesn't seem to think that," Wil commented.

"You mean he turned down the offer?" She was confused by that statement. Why would you want to turn down a place among some of the Leaf's most elite shinobi?

"Yeah, he said it wasn't how he was taught," Wil explained.

Nanako pondered that for a moment, but remembering that he was a student under Kakashi, she would rather not want to get involved in that. She also noticed by Wil's tone that he didn't feel comfortable talking about his brother or sister's achievements. She was still excited about the moment they both shared. The look in his eyes completely made her fall for him. When they held hands, she felt protected from all the dangers of this world. His smile reinforced that feeling. Nanako had always wondered how such an interesting boy could be ignored so much by everyone. He had such tremendous skill as a ninja with his special brand of Space-Time Ninjutsu and had knowledge of the battlefield that you wouldn't believe, but he's still overlooked. On top of that, he was so friendly and caring to everyone, even though they brushed him aside like just another wanna-be shinobi. She was always stumped by Wil's unyielding will that drove him to be the best that he could be. She admired him above all others for that trait. That was the main reason she fell for him.

"Okay, I'm dressed," Wil announced from behind the curtain.

Nanako snapped back into reality. "Well come out then, I wanna see what you look like."

Wil slowly walked out from behind the curtain to reveal his dashing outfit. Nanako's eyes lit up when she saw the shirt he picked out that fit him perfectly. It made him at least look like he was of a higher social status. He held out his arms and twirled around so she could see his whole outfit.

"What do you think?" He asked modestly. He was blushing a little as if he had never done this before in front of a girl.

"You look really handsome," Nanako smiled. Her tone suggested that she sincerely meant it, which made Wil smile as well.

"Really? I feel as if I'm going to meet the Daimyos for dinner," He added sarcastically.

Nanako giggled, "Oh, you don't have nearly as much make-up on for that."

Wil chuckled at the remark. The Daimyos of the Leaf Village trademarked the insane amount of eyeliner and eye-shadow and a whole bunch of other make-up products that made them look like dolls. "That's true; maybe I should sneak up and steal some eye-liner from Ashley."

They both started laughing until they were interrupted by Ashley. "What was that?"

Wil instantly hid behind the changing curtains to get away from his sister. "Nothing!" Came his muffled voice in his obvious hiding spot.

"I'll talk to you later, mister. Right now, we have to settle this dinner date Nanako so graciously invited us to," She announced.

Wil poked his head out in surprise and asked, "Wait, are we actually doing that?"

"Yup!" They both say in unison. Nanako's eyes lit up with excitement. Wil was certainly taken aback to this sudden decision. He thought they were joking when Nanako said all that barbecue nonsense. Even if they were going out to eat, he would prefer it to just be with Nanako. She was the only one who understood him, being the Hokage's daughter and all. Expectations were high for both of them; living up to the standards from others that came before you wasn't always a cup of tea. Wil was always pushed aside as a kid. People never paid attention to the smaller, less accomplished Triplet. Nanako on the other hand, was always under the microscope. She never had a moment to herself. Someone was always watching her, coaching her on how to do things right; always comparing her to her father. That's how they found each other.

The first time they have ever laid eyes on each other was when Jake had graduated the Academy when they were all just five years old. The Hokage himself had attended the graduation ceremonies and handed the graduating class their papers. When it was Jake's turn, all three of them, Jake, Wil, and Ashley stood up together because you needed other members of your family to be a witness to the graduation; but because they never had any parents, just Kakashi Sensei, they had supported each other. When Jake bowed and accepted the papers, Wil had caught his first glimpse of Nanako. She was hiding behind her father's robes, clinging to them shyly. She wore her beautiful blonde hair back that almost reached her waist. She wore a cute little pink flowered kimono and a matching headband in her hair. They both had made eye contact from that moment on each knew they had made a new friend that day.

They trained and played together ever since. Aside from working with his siblings and their unique "Triple Tandem" fighting style, Wil had worked on a tag-team fighting style with Nanako. They had gotten so good, that they gave Ashley and Jake a run for their money. Aside from their extraordinary ability in Taijutsu, they both had special Ninjutsu styles as well. Nanako possessed the power to create chakra chains that completely subdued the enemy, draining them of their own chakra. She was also very proficient in the Wind Style. Wil had a skill for Space-Time Ninjutsu not seen by a shinobi since the Fourth or Second Hokage. With his mysterious heirloom, his golden ring, he was able to recreate the Flying Thunder God Technique used by the Fourth Hokage himself. Combined with his unnatural speed and focus, Wil was most formidable.

They soon began to work on the Rasengan together. Naruto had joined their daily training sessions, teaching them the tricks of the trade. They began to learn how to mold and concentrate their chakra into their hand. They used countless water balloons to master churning the water inside to create the spinning motion that is essential for the technique. When they built up enough pressure and spinning to make it pop, they moved on to a denser ball filled with air. Wil had achieved this step first, but never ceased to encourage Nanako in her endeavors; unlike everyone else who only criticized. She finally managed to pop the ball, only to move on to the final and most challenging step of all: concentrating that immense force and pressure into a ball. This step has stumped them for a long time that is until the Chunin Exams. Wil had finally stabilized the Rasengan to use it in a victory against Arenae of the Desert.

Now they were here getting ready for a dinner date in honor of Wil's accomplishment. Wil was involuntarily pulled into it, but at least he had Nanako as well to keep him company. He really liked Nanako and there was no doubt she liked him.

"O-Okay," Wil stammered and crawled out of his hiding place. When Ashley is mad, it is good to stay at least three arms lengths away.

"You don't sound very excited," Ashley pointed out. Wil didn't know what to say because he was really taken off guard. "We could schedule it for another night if you want."

"No!" Wil said a little too quickly and loudly. Ashley and Nanako both laughed as Wil was left there with a glow of embarrassment on his face. He cleared his throat and tried to correct himself. "I mean it's fine. Tonight is great."

Ashley dismissed the idea, but Wil saw Nanako hide a modest smile. "Anyways," Ashley began. "We better get you ready for the dinner date."

She pulled out the most beautiful dress Wil had ever seen. It looked like the material was golden string laced together so elegantly into a dress. Nanako gazed at it like it was out of this world.

"I found this in the back of my closet somewhere," Ashley explained quickly. Wil knew she was lying though, because he saw the price tag on it. He decided not to say anything because it might ruin the moment. Instead, Ashley gave him a subtle wink and said telepathically, You're welcome.

"This… this is amazing," Nanako began. "Am I to wear this?"

"Of course! I wouldn't make the voyage to Wil's fortress of solitude for nothing. Now, go put it on, I think it will fit you better than it would me," Ashley was always the most generous person Wil had ever known, and this had reinforced that thought.

Nanako didn't hesitate; she snatched the dress from Ashley's grasp even faster than Wil himself could react and bolted behind the changing curtain. From behind the curtain, Wil could see the articles of her clothing she was literally throwing off in order to put on a seamstress's masterpiece. In no time she had the dress on, but something went wrong. She screamed in agony behind the curtain and Ashley and Wil sprang from the bed.

"What's wrong?" Wil asked alarmed. He wondered what happened behind the curtain. Did she rip it? Pull a muscle while she was getting into the dress?

"I didn't put on any make-up!" She shouted to him from the other side. Wil breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's it?" He asked.

"That's it?!" Ashley said absolutely shocked. She looked like Wil said he was going to be a rogue ninja or something. "How could you say such a thing?"

"What?" Wil was instantly confused at the situation.

"This is a crisis," Ashley proclaimed seriously. "We need to get her cleaned up straight away. You will stay down here and not look at her until she is ready. Got it?"

To Wil, those last two words summed up what she was thinking, don't look at her or I will cut out your eyeballs and feed them to you. Wil did not want to be around his sister while she was angry. He reluctantly went into a corner and averted his eyes. No matter how stupid this idea was, Wil had to obey unless he'd want to eat his own eyeballs. The girls quickly slipped upstairs and left Wil alone in his room. He turned around, his eyes half covered, but when he noticed they were gone, he collapsed on his bed.

Jake, he started telepathically speaking to his brother only. Why are girls the way they are?

What? So high strung? Always focusing on the smallest, most insignificant things? He asked.

Not just that, Wil was searching for the right words to describe them, but he had a feeling they were as much a mystery to his brother as him. I guess you can't live with or without them, huh?

Pretty much, confirmed Jake. Girls are the one mystery that 'man' kind Wil never solve. Once you come close, they slip away; it's kind of a repeating circle really. Take Ashley for example: we've lived with her for fifteen years; heck, we're triplets! And can you say that you know anything solid about her?

Jake brought up a good point. Ashley was the most mysterious out of all of them. It wasn't just limited to her fighting style, which is the most unpredictable Wil has ever seen. Her attitude is so sporadic as well. One minute she was the most energetic, happy-go-lucky person on the earth; and the next minute she's as cold as stone and dead focused on killing you. Wil sighed and looked up at the ceiling, lost in thought.

Oh, by the way, your girlfriend looks very nice, Jake added slyly.

Wil bolted upright and shouted silently, Not fair! Without thinking, he teleported himself to the FTG kunai that Jake had. He appeared in middle of his sister's room. He didn't even get time to look around when he saw his sister trying and pounce on him from the side; but Wil was too fast and slipped away before she even touched him. Wil then turned back around to look at Nanako's beautiful dress. It was a golden yellow dress that reached all the way to her ankles. It had two strips of cloth that went over her shoulders making it sleeveless. It flowed down her perfectly curved body like golden honey. There was a bow on her hip with a cyan button in the middle. Her hair was still done in her double ponytails, but was made to look more elegant. She had minimal make-up on, but what she had only added to her beauty. Wil couldn't help but stare wide-eyed at everything. The dress parted down her chest just enough to show more than enough cleavage, but Wil didn't care so much about that. He instantly felt under-dressed.

Nanako was a little surprised at Wil's sudden appearance, but she couldn't wait to see his face when she showed him her dress. As expected, his face looked absolutely stunned in amazement. She could only blush and say shyly, "What do you think?"

Wil didn't know that a conversation was started when he was asked how Nanako looked, but he snapped back into reality and was able to stammer out, "You look… amazing."

Ashley and Jake, who was behind him tried to stifle their laughter. Wil didn't care, he was about to go to a public festival with the most beautiful in the world. And hopefully, he didn't look too under-dressed when he stood next to her.

"Okay you two love birds," Ashley started. I expect you two to be back at a reasonable time."

"Wait, you guys aren't going with us?" Wil asked.

"Nope, we have other duties to attend to," Jake said. When he said that, he looked preoccupied; as if his mind was somewhere else, or having a conversation with someone else. Wil stared at him curiously to try and deduce what his brother was thinking, but continued the conversation as if he didn't see anything.

"Okay," he complied. But if I catch any of you eavesdropping on us, you're going to be in trouble.

"Well, speaking of duties, we should best get going, Ashley," Jake said as he looked at the clock in Ashley's room.

She nodded in agreement and told Wil, "You best be off, too, it's almost dark. Don't be late; it will definitely be a night to remember."

She slipped through exit and closed the door behind her, leaving the lovely couple alone. Wil could finally relax a little when Jake and Ashley left the room, but he couldn't help but feel a little suspicious. He had wondered what their alleged "duties" were, and what was going on in their heads. He knew he missed a telepathic conversation during the time he was in the room. He didn't want to worry about that now; right now he was in the room with Nanako Uzumaki. He turned to look at the clock on the wall and saw it was almost seven o' clock. Had he really slept that long? It was only around one when he arrived back at the house and instantly dozed off. A whole six hours would surely keep him up for a long time and he would want to stay awake if it meant spending time with Nanako.

He looked back at Nanako and asked, "Why does the Hokage have to have a carnival right now? We could be training right now, honing our skills with the Rasengan."

"Will you forget about training for just one night?" She chided. "Besides, this night is for you and what you've accomplished."

"I didn't sign up for this," Wil snapped. "I mean people have won the Exams plenty of times before, why must I be so different?"

Nanako just smiled. "That's what I love about you, Wilhelm. You are always so modest, maybe too modest."

She stepped closer towards Wil and he could smell the aroma of her perfume she had on, the sweet smell of citrus. A little strand of hair moved in front of her face. Wil gingerly extended his and hand and brushed away from her beautiful face. She caught his hand and held it in hers. His hands were warm and strong. Nanako looked into his deep blue eyes and couldn't control herself. She moved closer until their chests touched. She could feel his heartbeat, steadfast and strong.

Wil thought this day would come, but he didn't know when or where; which is ironic because he had studied the relations between space and time for years now. When he looked into her piercing cyan eyes, he knew what was to happen next. And he panicked. When she advanced on him and her chest was pressed against his, feeling her heartbeat, he foolishly decided to talk.

"I just don't feel like they need to…" he started but he was cut off by Nanako's finger as she put it over his lips, telling him to stop talking. He obeyed.

"No more talking," She said softly. And then it happened; they kissed. It was exactly what Wil thought it would be, completely sensual and invigorating. Wil and Nanako were pressed together and for a moment, Wil thought their hearts were beating as one. He closed his eyes and put his arms around her waist, holding her tighter. She suddenly threw her arms around Wil's shoulders as she kissed him with even more passion. Wil felt that all time had stopped for this one moment in their lives; this was their moment to make something happen and they did it with flying colors. But sooner or later reality had to step in.

"I leave the room for one minute and you two are already making out?" Came Ashley's voice from the doorway. Wil and Nanako's eyes both opened wide at the same time. They stopped kissing and looked at Ashley who was leaning on the frame with her arms crossed, smiling.

"It-it's not what it looks like," Nanako said immediately.

"Really?" Ashley asked. "Then what was it?"

"Well, it was…ummm," Wil began but he couldn't find any excuses. His face grew redder in embarrassment.

"My point exactly," Ashley said with a smile. She entered the room and walked passed Wil to get something off her dresser. She slowly picked it up and started to walk out, when she stopped for one moment and looked back.

Good for you, brother, she said with a smile telepathically. Wil smiled back, knowing that she was on his side.

"Hurry up, clocks ticking," Ashley told them and left.

"She's right, we should get going," Nanako agreed. Wil looked at her, her face was still flushed red by being caught kissing, but he could tell that she didn't really care.

"Well then, we best be off," Wil proclaimed with a smile. Nanako giggled and slipped her arm through his as they walked out of the room and out of the house. What was waiting for them on the other side was impossible to prepare the mind for.

All of Wil's friends from his year were standing in the front of Wil's house. They were all cheering for him. He couldn't help but have the biggest, stunned smile on his face. Everyone from his year from the Academy, the comrades he grew up with, was all there to celebrate his awesome achievement. He picked out his brother and sister in the mass of shinobi who were all dressed in traditional festival apparel. They were waving silently and smiling about as big as he was. He looked over to Nanako who was waving back at her friends in the crowd and grinning happily. Her features seemed to radiate off her body with even more beauty in the soft glow of the paper lanterns that lit up the streets against the darkness of dusk. He caught her eye and she asked, "What do you think?"

"This is… spectacular!" Wil proclaimed. This was by far the happiest he has ever been in his life.

Nanako laughed with joy. "Why don't we join our friends?" She asked as she led him into the crowd. They instantly assimilated the couple and were pushed around. Wil was clapped on the back and given high-fives and a hug here and there. He desperately tried to hold onto Nanako's hand who was leading him through the crowd.

They were finally stopped by a tall, muscular man with a green jumpsuit on. Wil looked up at him and saw that his black hair was fashioned in a bowl cut. He turned around with the biggest smile full of pearly-white teeth Wil had ever seen. The bushy eyebrows gave him away; it was Rock Lee, the Taijutsu extraordinaire.

"Wilhelm!" he shouted with so much enthusiasm it seemed to shake the ground around them. "Congratulations! Once again the Youth of the Leaf Village has shown its true colors!"

"Umm, thanks sensei, but I really have to get going…" Wil started but was cut off by Rock Lee once again.

"Nonsense, tonight we feast in honor of you!" Rock Lee exclaimed and with one swift move he had Wil up on his shoulders and started parading him around. "Behold: the Triune of the Leaf!"

Not too far from him were his brother and sister who were hoisted in the air as well. He made eye contact with both of them; they were both smiling and looked like they were enjoying themselves. They did notice that Wil looked a little…worried.

Jake caught on sooner than Ashley did. Don't worry, Wil, you'll meet with her again. This is a night for you, enjoy yourself.

Yeah, live a little! Ashley added telepathically. Those words seemed oddly soothing. Maybe they were right, it was about time for him to let loose for a little bit; for one night. A smile slowly grew on the young man's face as he began to see this world in a whole new light.

Wil threw his hands in the air and started to shout with the crowd. He heard music being played as the crowd grew closer into the village. He had grown accustomed to being carried by Rock Lee, so he began to sway to the music.

"That's the spirit!" Rock Lee shouted from below him. Then he began to pass Wil from person to person; crowd surfing. At first, Wil was scared that they might drop him, but as he began to trust them more with every transition. He let himself go and went with the flow of the crowd until he caught up with Jake and Ashley. They were now sitting on the top of three huge men's shoulders. The triplets were close enough to wrap their arms around each other's shoulders.

This day might be for me, but I couldn't imagine sharing it with anyone else, Wil said happily.

Hey, we're triplets, we have to stick together, Jake added.

That's right, nothing Wil break us apart, Ashley added confidently.

Wil couldn't help but smile even more. He had always been so focused on training and further honing his skills with Nanako and the Hokage that he had forgot what real fun was. He put all of his studies and training aside for the time being. Tonight, Wil was going to have fun. But the night didn't want him to.

From what he thought was going to be normal dinner with Nanako and his siblings turned out to be a full-on festival. The festival started off well, very well in fact because somewhere along the line he received his second kiss from Nanako. The crowd paraded the three triplets around everywhere, passed the Hokage's house and the Academy. Through streets that were lit up from the highest apartment balcony down to the front porches with streamers and paper lanterns. Vendors lined the streets selling their random wears. Children wove through the crowd, playing their little made up games with one another while the adults socialized with one another. Young couples were enjoying themselves. Wil was finally let down by Rock Lee; he must have spotted an old friend (he couldn't have been tired, he was way too conditioned for that). Ashley and Jake were also let down with him. He looked around, seeing all the little games set up by vendors and what they had to offer.

"Where should we go first?" A voice came from behind Wil. He whirled around to see Nanako. He was so delighted to see her, and of all places.

"Wherever you want to," Wil said. In retrospect, he never should have said that, but it was too fun to pass it up. Nanako instantly lit up with excitement and hooked Wil's arm and dragged him off to the various games the vendors have set up. Needless to say, they hit all the games and attractions set up and Wil had the time of his life.


	4. Chapter 4

The morning after the festival was back to normal. Wil woke up at daybreak. He wasted no time while gathering his things to get ready for his training session. He packed plenty of scrolls and FTG kunai. He dressed himself in his normal uniform along with his new Flak Jacket he received from the Chunin Exams. It was hard to believe that the Exams were only two days ago. He had beaten the biggest and baddest Sand Ninja out there and finally mastered the Rasengan. On top of that, he kissed his life-long crush, Nanako Uzumaki and had a festival in his crowning achievements. Something in his head stuck to his memory when he thought of the festival. When the Hokage himself had acknowledged him in front of the crowd, he saw someone that he only thought lived in his dreams.

When he was brought up in front of the crowd to be acknowledged, he saw a peculiar figure that stuck out of the crowd. She was located in the center of the crowd, but oddly no one paid any attention to her. When Wil saw her, all the noise of the crowd seemed to disappear. It was as if they were the only two on the street. She looked straight at Wil with omniscient brown eyes glazed with power. She had long black hair woven in a braid down her back with golden thread. Her features were almost godlike how they shown with such vibrant beauty. She had a sly smile on her face when she started to mouth something. He heard a voice in his head, but it didn't match her mouth.

Soon, young Wilhelm, your quest shall begin, Came her chilling voice. Wil's eyes were locked with hers when she started to fade from existence. Her whole figure was fading away and blowing away in the wind, as if she was made of air. She said one thing before she completely evaporated, Release the Dawnbreaker.

Those last words repeated in Wil's ears all night, and ironically woke him up at dawn. He quietly crept up the stairs and through the house towards the front door, trying not to stir his brother and sister. The door opened with a small kreeek but after that, it was smooth sailing from there. He closed the door as silently as it opened and turned around to face the new day. The sun was just peaking over the faces of the Hokages etched in the mountain that loomed over the Leaf Village. The aftermath of the festival was still pretty eminent despite the efforts of the clean-up crew. Wil stretched out his arms to take in the rejuvenating, yellow beams of the sun as they began to cover everything in sight, relinquishing the shadows of the night. It was only a matter of time until that light found its way into the many windows and woke up the Village.

He started down the street toward the Training Fields. The Village was still quiet, yet there was silent humming about it, as if there was left over energy from the festival. Streamers and paper lanterns still littered the air between the apartment complexes and stores. Wil had a strong urge to go running along the rooftops of those buildings, but there was something about walking that felt serene. As he was walking leisurely down the streets, he reminded himself of the great times he had as a kid, running along these very avenues playing with his friends. Most of his memories of friends included Nanako. He surprised himself how long they were friends. Ever since Wil was brought into this world, it has always been his two siblings and Nanako. Jake and Ashley was his brother and sister and he respected and thought of them as such, but Nanako was different. She was a companion, a life-long one. He had thought for a long time that she was his twin and Jake and Ashley were their own set, because she seemed to have more in common with him. Even their appearances were more similar than his real siblings. Jake had jet black hair and steely grey eyes and Ashley had crimson red hair with piercing green eyes. Wil had a lot of spiky yellow hair, which he was never overly fond of, and deep blue eyes. Nanako was the same as him, but the hair thing seemed to work wonders for her.

All the remembering of his childhood got Wil thinking of how he actually came into this world. Kakashi had raised the triplets since they were infants, but he never actually knew his real parents. He had tried to ask Kakashi Sensei one time, but he always had some sort of excuse and then quickly changed the subject. They then tried to ask the Hokage, but he always said, "When you're older, you will learn the truth." Well the first time he said that, it was seven years ago, Wil had waited long enough. Hopefully through today's training session, the Hokage will tell him.

Wil had finally reached the Hokage's residence and home to Nanako Uzumaki. The Hokage house was at the foot of the Hokage Monument. It consists of three dome structures connected to each other. They are painted red with two balconies jutting out from the center dome. On the top of the central structure is a flat roof and below that sits the symbol of the Land of Fire. The whole complex is surrounded by a wall around its perimeter. There are always two ninja standing guard at the gates to the entrance. But today, the only one standing there was Nanako herself. She was back in her signature orange and black jacket that is always zipped down a little too far in the front and her matching shorts; full ninja apparel. She saw him ahead of time and waved to him from down the streets. She smiled her radiant smile as she waved. Wil smiled and waved back in acknowledgement. He strode up to her and said, "Morning."

"Morning," She replied. She looked at him with those brilliant blue eyes and he was taken back to his sister's room where they had shared their first kiss. "Did you sleep well?"

"Honestly, I'm exhausted," Wil said with an embarrassed smile. "All those fun and games last night really drained me."

"Oh," She said and looked down. She was the one who dragged him to do all those games. She felt sorry for tiring him out, which was a big switch because whenever she tired him out while training, she felt accomplished. Before she got too depressed, Wil grabbed her arm softly.

"But there was no one else I would have rather spent my time with," He told her. She looked up at him and was faced with his deep blue eyes that reminded her of the open sea, mysterious and powerful. His smile showed his compassion and love for her. She was thinking of kissing him right there to taste his lips once again, but she was too shy.

Instead, she blushed and said, "Well don't think I'm going easy on you just because you're tired."

Instantly, a spark of excitement lit up in Wil's eyes. "Is that a challenge?"

"Bring it on, Yellow Flash," Nanako taunted. She went into a fighting stance ready to go.

"Race you to the training grounds!" Wil announced.

"You're on!" Nanako shouted in excitement. In a blur of yellow, Wil vanished, on hot approach to the training grounds. And Nanako wasn't far behind. This was where Wil was able to literally leave Nanako in the dust. Nanako was fast, he would give her that, maybe even as fast as her sister. But when it came to raw speed, Wil was unmatched. He bolted through the giant trees that surround the Leaf Village toward the northwest. He jumped from branch to branch, watching the trees blur passed him. The place where Nanako and Wil normally trained was a couple miles out of the village limits where the forests ends and the river begins. Going out of the Village is normally against the rules; but when the Hokage is with you, some rules don't apply. It took only minutes for Wil to reach the end of the forest and out into the vast training ground.

He popped out of the forest on the far side and skidded to a stop, bringing up dirt. He finally caught himself and took a breath and looked around. This Training Ground was the most beautiful in the morning. The ground was half grass and half dirt due to the excessive and rigorous training it has endured. Bushes and undergrowth lined the limits of the forest that stopped short of a crystal clear river. It was calm and tranquil, not to mention refreshing to drink from whilst training. On the other side of the river lay an open plain to the right and to the left, the boundaries of the Land of Fire's grand forests stretch down as far as the eye can see. In the distance, Wil could see the golden might of the sun waking up and poking through two adjacent mountains. The sun seemed to push away the clouds that covered the sky during the night to make room for its warming glow. At the foot of the river were three wooden posts. Wil never quite understood why they were there, but Naruto insisted on keeping them. He said they had sentimental value to him.

He also found out something else, Naruto himself was leaning against the center post, looking out in the distance. Kakashi was leaning against the right one reading his book. Wil walked up to the left post and pounced on top of it and stayed there, perched. The three stood, or perched, there for a long while in silence, until Nanako finally sprang out of the trees and came over to join the trio.

Wil looked back with a smile and said, "I win!"

"Whatever! You cheated. I bet you used FTG," She complained.

"Did not!" Wil snapped back. "I beat you fair and square, you're just mad because you're slow." He stuck out his tongue at her playfully. She slugged him in the arm in frustration that made him fall off the post.

"One of these days I will beat you in a race, believe it!"

While his daughter was arguing with Wil, Naruto turned to Kakashi and asked, "Do you remember our first training lesson?"

"All too well," Kakashi replied not looking up from his book. "You still remain the number one, hyperactive, knucklehead ninja I've ever seen."

"You taught us the most valuable lesson that day," Naruto reminded him, ignoring the jab at him. "Shinobi who don't obey the rules are considered trash, but the ones who don't help out their friends are even worse than trash."

Kakashi finally looked up from his book at the sound of those words at the horizon. He started to dig in his back pocket for something. He pulled out two, circular silver bells. He tossed them to Naruto saying, "I found these in an old box. I figured you'll get more use out of them than I will."

Naruto scanned the bells. They were exactly like the ones Kakashi had used during their very first training session; the Bell Exercise. Memories popped back up from the past, remembering his two teammates as they took on Kakashi Sensei. He remembered how he had foolishly tried to square off against him one on one. That didn't end so well. Then he remembered how Sasuke was able to touch the bells, showing off his skills. He couldn't help but smile at the memories. He looked towards the horizon and for a moment, he could see his team portrait shimmer into existence in the blue sky. Squad 7 was what they called themselves, and what Wil, Ashley, and Jake inherited from him. The only regret he had was his kin could not be a part of the heritage.

He snapped back to reality to his daughter's voice ringing out, "Are we going to start, daddy?"

He looked at her, and then at Wil who was cradling his arm. She must have wailed on him pretty good. She must have gotten her temper from her grandmother, Naruto thought. He noticed through the years that Nanako and Wil have grown to be really close friends. They trained together, ate together, and played together. The only thing they didn't do was sleep together, but Naruto wouldn't allow that. He had seen the two hanging out at the festival last night and saw his first evidence that they have become more than friends. They have become companions. They were both so similar as well; not just their appearance (which was so similar it was scary) but the way they acted. They never gave up on anything or anyone. Wherever Nanako would fall, Wil was there picking her back up and vice versa. They would both find a way to fight through any challenge and somehow come out victorious. He had the perfect training exercise in mind to put their teamwork to the test.

"Yes, yes we are," Naruto told her. "For now, we are going to shy away from our work with the Rasengan."

"What?" Wil finally piped up. "But I only just got it down, and Nanako still hasn't mastered it yet."

"Don't worry; we'll have plenty of time to work on that. Right now I would like to do an exercise that Kakashi Sensei did with me and my team when we were about your age."

Wil looked puzzled. What could he have in mind? He would soon find out.

"This session will put your teamwork and skills to the test," Kakashi interrupted. He had put his book away and was now standing next to Naruto.

Naruto held out two circular, silver bells attached together with a string. "This is called the Bell Exercise. The rules are simple, you have to try and take these bells from me by lunch time. If you cannot, you will be tied to these posts while you watch Kakashi Sensei and I eat our lunches right in front of you."

"Sounds easy enough," Nanako said confidently.

Naruto smiled sinisterly. "We will see, Nanako."

"Don't underestimate your dad, Nanako," Wil told her. "We have to work together to take him down. We got this."

They both high-fived and ran out to the middle of the clearing. They went into their fighting stances; Wil pulled out an FTG kunai ready for anything and Nanako did the same with a regular kunai. They looked ready for anything, but were they prepared for what was to happen next?

"Come at me with the intent to kill," Naruto said to them. Sounds easy enough, Wil thought. He had no trouble attacking people with the intent to kill. He worried about Nanako though, attacking her father and all. He looked over to her and his worries were completely suppressed. Her face looked determined and shown no emotion for daddy dearie at all. She was ready to go. A slight breeze rustled the leaves in the trees surrounding the inevitable battleground. It was a stare down between Nanako and Wil versus the Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki. Kakashi had hid out safely in the trees to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. Wil could hear the bells chiming in the wind, marking his targets.

A few more seconds flew by with no one moving, when suddenly Nanako shouted out, "Well what are we waiting for!?" and she attacked. She jumped straight in the air and made the shadow clone hand sign.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" one clone of her appeared at her side. "Transform!" Instantly, the clone transformed into a giant, four bladed shuriken. She grabbed it and chucked it toward Naruto. It flew like a whirlwind ready to decapitate its target, but Naruto was too good. He ducked and the shuriken sailed over his head. Nanako never rushed into a fight unprepared; once the shuriken flew over Narutos head, it transformed back to the clone and threw six smaller shuriken at him. Naruto looked impressed, but calm. He simply dodged, showing his tremendous speed. Wil then sprang to action; as Naruto was in the air, he intercepted him and engaged him. He tried to punch and kick him during their aerial combat, but Naruto skillfully blocked every blow. He ended with one final strike with his fist, but Naruto crossed his arms in front of him to block it. The force was so strong it knocked him back to the ground.

Wil floated down to the ground alongside Nanako. Naruto gathered himself and looked back at the two. "I never said start," Naruto announced calmly. Though, he was thoroughly impressed on their execution with their tag-team attack. In fact, as it played out, he was even more impressed. After he stopped talking, he noticed that Wil had teleported behind him and had a kunai to his back. Very impressive, he thought; but not good enough.

"Let's start this for real this time," Naruto told them. "3…2…1…" Before he said go, Naruto poofed out of existence.

Nanako cursed and said stated through clenched teeth, "It was a shadow clone. Now he could be anywhere."

"We'll be fine, it was able to tag his coat with the seal," Wil told her. Whilst Naruto and he were fighting in the air, Wil was able to sneak in a seal of the Flying Thunder God onto Naruto's Hokage cloak; so now wherever he was, all he had to do was teleport and he'd be right by his side.

"Excellent! Let's go get those bells," Nanako shouted. They both high-fived and just as they touched, Wil teleported them to the location of the seal. The setting instantly changed from an open, sunny clearing to a denser, darker part of the forest. Wil and Nanako stood back to back and surveyed their surroundings in case it was a trap. That's when they saw it. Lying on the ground a few feet away from the couple was Naruto's cloak and the seal implanted on the back of it.

"He tricked us," Wil shrugged. "He knew from me teleporting behind him before we started that I had planted a seal on him."

Nanako picked up the cloak and observed it. She sniffed it, and then smelled the air checking for her dad's scent in the air. Without saying a word, she knelt down and placed her right index finger on the ground. The scene was quiet while she was feeling, sensing, where Naruto could have gone. After a couple seconds, she stood back up and pointed to her right. "That's where he went."

"How did you deduce that?" Wil asked curiously.

"It's an old tracking trick dad taught me. All I need to do place one finger on the ground and I'll know where anyone is within a five mile radius," She explained confidently.

"That's amazing, Nana," Wil smiled at her. Ever since they were kids, he had called her "Nana". She had always been a terrific tracker and sensor as well. Hide and seek was never easy when she was seeking.

"Thanks," She blushed. "Let's go."

They started walking through the trees. They couldn't start jumping through them at normal speed because they might miss a clue or Naruto. Instead, they walked side by side as they searched their surroundings. The part of the forest where Naruto was hiding was relatively open. The trees were nice and spread out so they never had squeeze in between any of them. The overlay of branches over them blocked most of the morning sun making it seem darker.

"We have to be extra careful in this situation," Wil reminded Nanako. "This isn't just an ordinary Genin or Chunin we're tracking, this is the Hokage."

"Yeah, who knows what dad has in store for us," Nanako agreed. Wil and Nanako had heard stories of Naruto when they were little about the awesome feats Naruto has accomplished.

"Remember that story about the time when the Leaf Village was attacked by the Akatsuki?" Wil asked Nanako.

"The one where that weird guy with the Rinnegan blew up the whole village?" She clarified.

"Yeah, that one. It was stated that amongst all the debris, Naruto appeared with three giant toad warriors and single-handedly defeated the Akatsuki,"

"Yeah, he told me that was after his own master was killed by the same people," Nanako said with a solemn note. "That was when he mastered his Toad Sage Mode."

"I sure hope that he doesn't use that against us," Wil worried. "We'd be in trouble."

They passed into a wider section of the forest when Wil heard a rustling of branches to his left. He held out his arm to stop Nanako. In his left hand, a FTG kunai appeared. He listened for any other sounds that weren't normal, but none came. Suddenly, Naruto's voice rang through the forest.

"Shinobi Training lesson part one…" Nanako looked up and saw Naruto plummeting toward the two, ready to attack. "Taijutsu!"

Wil pushed Nanako out of the way and dodged just before Naruto hit the ground. Dust and debris was kicked up at the impact. Wil looked into the dust cloud when a streak of orange bolted out of the cloud toward him. Time seemed to slow down as he processed what was going on. Naruto burst out of the dust and engaged Wil in combat. He had his fist ready to punch Wil, but he was too quick. Wil dodged the punched effortlessly, but Naruto gathered himself and tried it again. His punches and kicks were very fast, but Wil was faster. Every blow Naruto threw at him, he either dodged or blocked. Wil was moving like water, flowing right by the attacks by Naruto. In his eyes, the punches were in slow motion. He finally saw an opening and he landed a powerful punch in his side and instantly he was on the offensive. He punched and kicked back as Naruto backed up trying to block Wil's attacks. Wil flipped over him and tried hitting him, but Naruto lived up to his title. He was a genius at hand to hand combat.

Wil had just jumped over Naruto when he finally saw a glimpse of Nanako popping out into the fight. Wil put space between him and Naruto when Nanako flew into battle. She sprinted right for her dad and thrust her fist out for a mighty punch…but he saw it in time. He dodged to the right of her and brought his elbow down hard on her back. She hit the ground with a sickening thud and it seemed like she cracked the ground. Wil stood there, shocked and angered. He immediately sprang into action with a purpose. His blows became faster and more aggressive. Naruto had a harder time keeping up with Wil's attacks and started to fall behind. Wil was able to get a knee to the gut and knew that this fight was almost over. Naruto staggered back and looked back at Wil curiously.

"Interesting," He said under his breath. He studied Wil as he brought Nanako up back to her feet.

"That was a cheap attack," Nanako whined.

"Maybe next time you'll learn to not leave yourself open," Naruto shot back.

Nanako shot her dad a furious look. She was about to hit him, but Wil put an arm on her shoulder. Naruto just grinned slyly.

"Shinobi Training Lesson Part two: Genjutsu," When he said that last word, Naruto phased out of sight. The air became heavier as reality was warped right before their eyes. The trees began to twist and change shape into more of a hooked position. The branches came down and tried to grab for Wil and Nanako. One reached for Nanako's arm, but she cut it off with her kunai. An eerie moan rang through the forest as the branches continued to grab at Wil and Nanako.

"It's just an illusion," Wil told Nanako. But he was having a hard time believing himself at the moment. The trees started to move closer to engulf the two shinobi. They stood back to back, frantically fending off branches and vines that might not even be there. The trees moved closer and closer to Wil that he began to panic. He couldn't believe what he was doing, he never panicked about something like this, but the situation was just too stressful. Then he remembered a crucial detail. Genjutsu was essentially Ninjutsu that is used to disrupt the flow of chakra in the victim's brain. If used right, Naruto can make Wil and Nanako's brain think they are being attack by giant trees, when in real life; they are just swinging at nothing. Wil tried to remember how to break such a technique; that's when it hit him, literally. He cut an imaginary branch away from him then turned to Nanako.

"Hit me!" He commanded. He had a look of complete seriousness on his face, but Nanako was still confused.

"What?" She said, maybe not hearing him right.

"Hit me. It's the only way to break the Genjutsu," He explained. She still wasn't sure. How would hitting him break the Genjutsu? "Trust me."

Wil looked at her with those persistent blue eyes, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't argue with him. So, she turned to him and punched him right across the face. Wil fell hard; he wasn't expecting her to hit him so hard. As he fell, Wil disappeared. Nanako stood there, frozen. Did she kill him? She didn't have to time to think about it, she was being engulfed by giant trees. One branch grabbed her ankle and pulled her to the ground. She let out a screech but then the branch started to drag her across the ground into the darkness of the forest. She tried frantically to free her leg, but she dropped her kunai when she hit the ground and couldn't reach back and grab another one. She caught a glimpse of where she was being dragged to and instantly froze. The branch was leading her to pitch black darkness.

Nanako screamed in desperation. She couldn't help herself as she was being hopelessly dragged into the dark. Oh, how she wished Wil was there to save her. Suddenly, out of the darkness came a bright yellow light. Out from the light, a hand came through and grabbed Nanako out of the darkness. The light was so inviting and it seemed to eradicate the scene around her. The scene began to change, back to their original setting. She was back in the original forest on the ground. Everything was back to normal, the trees weren't going to come out and attack and the scene was noticeably brighter. The best part was that Wil was right next to her with his arm on her shoulder, comforting her. She was sweating and breathing heavily, but at least she was alive. She looked over to Wil, he smiled at her, but she saw the mark where she hit him.

"What the hell was that!?" She exclaimed.

"It was a Genjutsu," Wil pointed out a lot more relaxed than her.

"I know that, genius. I want to know why you made me punch you!"

"It was the only way to escape the Genjutsu," Wil said calmly. "Naruto exerted too much chakra for us to simply 'release' it away so we had to result to a kick-start for our senses."

"How did you pull me out then?" Nanako asked. She was still mad at him for making her hit him, but she was calming down.

"After I was out, I simply channeled some of my chakra through you to disrupt Naruto's chakra that was disrupting yours."

"I have no idea what you just said, but where did dad go?" Nanako said. The whole time Wil was talking, she had a befuddled look on her face.

"He ran off again, but I think I know where," Wil announced. He stood up and held out his hand to help her up.

"Follow me," Wil commanded. He bolted in the direction of the clearing. Nanako was barely keeping up with Wil's speed, and she had a feeling he was trying to hold back a little for her sake. They came into the clearing and the first thing they noticed was that the sun was almost completely overhead. They had about an hour at most until it would lunch time and if they didn't have the bells…Wil would rather not think about it. Finding Naruto was easy, he was leaning against the same post as he was before they started, looking out at the river. He had his Hokage cloak back, but the FTG seal was gone. Wil and Nanako ran up to him ready for him to fight them, but he just stood there staring into the distance.

"That was a nasty trick you played on us, daddy," Nanako scolded him.

Naruto just smiled and replied, "Genjutsu was never my forte. Though, I'm surprised you got out of it so quickly."

"It wasn't that hard, you exerted too much chakra in your Jutsu and made the choice simple," Wil told him.

"Did I now?" Naruto said, pondering this thought as if he was receiving new feedback about his Jutsu. "I can clearly see how you managed to escape, Wil. Nice face."

Wil clenched his fists in anger. "Come here and I'll show you how I got it."

"Tempting offer, but I'll pass," Naruto said. He turned to look at the both of them with intense blue eyes; the same as Nanako's. "Shinobi Training Lesson part Three: Ninjutsu."

Wil had heard of the Hokage's Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu and how the sheer number of the clones had turned tides of battles, but he had never witnessed it firsthand. Now, it seems that he had scored front row seats to that event. Out of the forest and trees flooded hundreds of Hokage Clones. They surrounded Wil and Nanako within seconds. Wil and Nanako went back to back, watching their blind spots, but they both knew that the sheer numbers would eventually overwhelm them if they were to fight. From out of the crowd, the real Naruto's voice shouted, "Now this is my forte: Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Wil was out of ideas at the moment, and Nanako wasn't fairing any better. They both had never battled so many clones before. They both have used the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu before, but were never able to produce as much clones as Naruto could have. He had produced hundreds in a split second and without either of them even noticing. He is truly the ninja everyone has looked up to. Wil needed to come up with an idea, and fast. That's it! He needed a fast idea, a Yellow Flash fast idea.

He nudged Nanako slightly to get her attention and whispered, "Throw me."

"What?" She whispered back. "What is with you and crazy ideas today?"

"Trust me, I have a plan,"

Nanako sighed and put her kunai back in her pouch. A clone stepped forward and tried to grab her, but she spun back and gave it a hard kick to the gut, it dissipated and instantly the whole Clone swarm sprang into action. Five more started to attack each of them. Wil cut them down with his kunai and Nanako beat them to death. Then they turned around and Nanako knelt down ready to boost Wil. He cut down and kicked a few more clones out of existence and started running to Nanako.

"This better be a good plan," Nanako shouted to him.

She was about to throw him into the air, when he said his last words, "Just don't blink."

She threw Wil high above the mob of clones and went back to hacking and slashing any clones that tried to attack her. Wil didn't waste any time, he held out his wide open hands in front of him and connected his two index fingers and thumbs creating a triangle. He had learned this hand sign while practicing Space-Time Ninjutsu. A Flying Thunder God Kunai appeared horizontally over that triangle in his hand. He was focusing his chakra for an interdimensional Jutsu all his own. The kunai finally started to glow the color of Wil's chakra, bright yellow, signaling that it was ready. The hardest thing about this Jutsu was coming up with its name, but Wil thought the one he picked out did it justice. "Here's my forte: Flying Thunder God Technique: Stage 3!"

He threw the kunai at the crowd and hoped that Nanako had gotten out of there. The kunai glowed brightly and opened an interdimensional gate that released hundreds more Flying Thunder God Kunai. They hit the crowd like hundreds of little lightning strikes, instantly disintegrating some clones, but that wasn't the plan. They were FTG kunai and Nanako knew what that meant. Thank goodness she didn't blink, or she would have missed the spectacle. Faster than a blink of an eye, coveted by a yellow flash, all the clones were instantly annihilated. Smoke from the clones covered the battlefield, but when it cleared, Nanako could see two figures.

Out of the smoke, Wil stood next to Naruto and in his hands he held the two silver bells. He and Nanako were victorious. Naruto's face was similar to Nanako's, completely awestruck. Wil's face had a triumphant smile etched into it. Naruto finally closed his mouth and smiled happily. Nanako thought that peculiar; wasn't he just beaten? Why would he be smiling if he lost?

"Even now, I have yet to see a ninja to counter that Jutsu of yours," Naruto said. "Congratulations, you both have passed the Bell exercise. Well done."


	5. Chapter 5

Nanako couldn't contain her excitement, so in order to rid it from her system she jumped up and down and almost tackle-hugged Wil. He embraced her, both laughing and smiling. Naruto stood by and all he could do was smile. Though, something in the back of his mind troubled him. There was one more task that they had to accomplish, and it came in the message of a god. As he watched his two students rejoice and split up the bells, he sensed two figures walk out of the forest. He turned his head slightly to see Kakashi Sensei and an all too familiar figure walking side by side. The figure wore a white dress that rippled in the soft wind like oil on water. She had long, black hair woven into a braid down her back. She was about as tall as Kakashi, but he expected nothing less from a god from a different realm. Despite her blasé expression, her eyes showed much knowledge and wisdom. Kakashi looked uncomfortable standing next to her, and Naruto didn't blame him; Hera was a lot to handle. Naruto's expression turned to business. He knew the time for truth about Wil's past was now upon them.

"I didn't expect you to come here all by yourself," Naruto chided.

"I can handle myself, thank you," Hera shot back. Wil and Nanako noticed by now and stopped reminiscing about their victory and stood at attention, but were holding each other's hands. When Hera saw this, she smiled.

"Ah, young love. Such a beam of light in these dark times," Hera said to the two students. Nanako shot a puzzled look at her father, but Wil stood there shocked. It was the lady from his dreams, it had to be. She had the same features and voice and those same brown eyes.

Hera picked up on this and started to explain. "That's right; you don't know who I am. I am Hera, the Matron Goddess of Mount Olympus. You do not remember me, Wilhelm because you were but an infant since our last encounter."

"I-I don't understand," Wil was able to squeeze out. He felt like what she said should mean something to him, but it didn't. Matron Goddess? What is Mount Olympus? All these questions rushed through his head. He had never read anything about a "Mount Olympus" in the scrolls he had. Then she talked about him when he was a baby. He had no recollection, no memory of this woman in his childhood; but he doesn't remember anything before the age of two. "Did you know my parents?"

Hera looked at Naruto disapprovingly. "You haven't told him his birthright?"

"He wasn't ready until now," Naruto argued. "None of them know."

"None of us know what?" Nanako interrupted.

"It is time for you to learn of your birthrights," Hera told them.

Wil wasn't sure what was going on anymore after this girl, Hera showed up. He followed her and the others to the Hokage's office back in the village with no hesitation, but his mind was in another place at the moment. One word continually rang inside his head, birthright. What did that mean? He never knew any details about the day he was born or his whole childhood for that matter. He tried to look back, search his memories of when he was an infant, but no amount of meditating or thinking would help him find those memories. Occasionally though, he would have very peculiar dreams. The characters would normally vary, but almost all of them included one boy. It obviously wasn't Wil because this kid was taller and had jet black hair and sea green eyes. He was pretty well built, too, giving Wil the thought that he was a warrior. In every scene this mysterious guy was in, he was constantly on adventures.

One of the very first dreams with this mysterious figure in it that Wil remembers was a scene of a type of war game: Capture the Flag. The boy was in bulky, bronze armor tinted with blue paint that Wil had seen only worn by Samurai or "Gladiators" in some movies he was dragged to. He held a bronze sword in his left hand and a circular shield in the other. The kid looked genuinely beat up. Scratches and bruises covered his body and his armor was dented. He stood next to a creek with slow rushing, clear water and a forest with large, green trees looming over him; and not ten yards from him stood the Red team's flag, ripe for the taking. Suddenly, more people entered the scene, enemies by the looks of them. Most were girls, but that didn't fool anyone. They looked as menacing as ever with their cumbersome, red armor and large shields and their bronze tipped swords and spears. They surrounded the boy, spears and swords ready to strike. Then one other person stepped into view; the leader by the looks of her. She wore a large helmet with a red Mohawk going down the center of it. She looked very muscular and was no doubt very skilled under her intimidating armor. The most frightening thing she had was her large spear she held in her right arm. It was buzzing with a malevolent red electric charge that would no doubt incinerate anything it came into contact with. In short, the kid was screwed.

It didn't look good for the poor kid in the forest, especially when a large, bulky warrior smashed him with her shield into the creek. The boy fell hard into the freezing cold, rushing water. The leader began to laugh at him and soon the others joined in, but he wasn't done. What Wil saw next was nothing short of interesting. The kid slowly stood up, shins deep in the water hefting his sword and dropping his shield. Suddenly, the water began to flow up his body and heal his wounds. Wherever the water touched on his body, it left his flesh sparkling new and strong. A new life was born in the boy's eyes. The sea green hue seemed to glow with power as the water around his feet began to swirl around him. The large man who shoved him into the creek slowly backed up, but the boy snapped his head to look at him with a very intense stare.

Suddenly, a huge jet of water erupted from the creek and blasted the warrior through the woods. The rest of the red warriors looked stunned as the water churned around the boy, lifting him up and higher than the others. He let out a war cry and thrust his hands down and a demolishing wave of water hit his opponents with the force of a typhoon. The leader barely had time to lift her shield and buffer some of the blow, but she was still knocked back a couple feet. She jumped back to her feet, just to be met by the boy head on. He swung his sword and if it wasn't for the leader's quick reflexes, she would be headless. His sword clanked harmlessly off her shield, but the boy wasn't done. He kept on swinging with the skill Wil was surprised to see from a boy his age, but then again so was the red leader. The two exchanged blows, unable to hit each other until the boy found an opening and stripped her of her shield. Now the red leader was only left with her electric spear. She jabbed and thrust desperately at the boy, but he either parried the attack effortlessly or spun away. She was getting frustrated and overcompensated on a thrust that would spell doom for her beloved spear.

The boy saw this coming and sidestepped and decisively slashed down on the spear, shattering it into pieces. He then followed with a deafening kick to the red leader's midsection. She went down without a word face first into the mud of the creek. The boy sighed in relief and went to capture the red team's flag. He hefted it from its place in the ground and held it over his head in triumph. That's when the most peculiar thing happened; above his head, a large, blue, holographic trident appeared. That was where the dream ended. Wil had had other dreams similar to that, with the same mysterious kid, but older and more experienced with his powers. He saw the kid navigating a ship all by himself with a blonde girl by his side on his way to an island where a giant Cyclops with a Golden Fleece is holding a smaller Cyclops and a man with goat legs hostage.

The most recent memory he had though was with the same boy, but he seemed to be older than Wil now, but something else seemed to be different about him. Wil could see with his well-trained eyes, that he was significantly enhanced. There was coating of power around the boy and a strand of gray in his black hair. The boy radiated power, but the one he was battling seemed to stop time itself with his presence. It was a blonde haired kid, a little older than the boy, but he seemed possessed by another, more prevailing force. His eyes were solid gold and he radiated with immense power. The view fanned out and showed a mountaintop with a half-finished Temple on the top of it. Then Wil saw it slowly crumble out of existence. He never learned the outcome of that dream, but he knew after that, those were signs, omens, of something to come in the future. Now, with the coming of Hera, Wil is about to have his answers.

When the whole party traveled back to the Hokage's office, the sun was higher in the sky warming up the air and evaporating the morning dew. The village had finally waked up as well. People were hustling and bustling around, trying to get to their job or running morning errands. Besides the fact that Wil was walking next to a Goddess, it was a pretty normal day. He glanced over at Hera to once again see her godly beauty and grace. When she walked, she seemed to glide over the ground swiftly and quietly. Her dress flowed in the breeze like ripples in a pond after a stone was dropped. He wondered what world she came from that had such powerful creatures and thought maybe he could possibly bridge the gap with a Space-Time Ninjutsu of sorts. That's when he started to worry. What if she was here to wage an interdimensional war on the whole Ninja world? He glanced at Kakashi Sensei and the Hokage; they looked too calm for that to be the case.

As if reading his mind, Hera said, "Do not fret, Wilhelm, I am only here to ask for help. Grave times have fallen upon the Olympians and the world we come from; and we ask for our neighboring worlds for help."

"Neighboring worlds?" Nanako asked with a puzzled look.

"Yes, your Ninja world isn't alone in this universe," Hera explained.

"There is a legend that states that in a time before time, the universe was created by a group of Celestial Beings," Kakashi budded in.

"It is no legend, Kakashi," Hera stated. "My ancestors were part of that group."

"I didn't know gods had ancestors," Nanako said under her breath.

"It's a very complicated family tree, dear," Hera told her.

"So this group of Gods created the whole universe?" Wil asked, still confused.

"They weren't just gods; they were the most powerful beings to ever have existed," Naruto added.

"When they finished the job, their mighty powers were horribly depleted," Hera went on. "So they created three separate worlds where they each reside in until this day."

"But what does all this have to do with us?" Wil asked.

"The three worlds in which the Celestials reside in are now threatened by an ancient evil," Hera said with a grave tone. When she spoke, it seemed as if the sky darkened a little to heave the gravity of the words. "Though, someone here has already extinguished this world's evil."

Everyone looked at the Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki the Savior of the Ninja World. He continued to look at the ground, with no emotion as if remembering the Great War that took place only a few decades before. Stories have been told to Wil and all of his class about how Naruto had rallied all the Nations to join together and destroy the Juubi, the Progenitor of the world.

"The Juubi wasn't just a Ten-tailed Demon with enormous power," Naruto said. "It was in fact one of the Celestial beings that created this universe. When we destroyed it that was the first time I've ever learned about the other worlds."

"You broke your world from the bonds of hatred," Hera proclaimed. "Now I only ask that you help the other worlds do the same."

"I'm afraid my time has passed," Naruto said.

"Whoever said it was your job to complete?" Hera told him. This time she looked straight at Wil and Nanako. Her brown eyes pierced straight through and into their very core. "It is the destiny of the new generation."

They all stopped in unison, mostly because they had reached the gates of the Hokage's house. Wil had the fleeting thought that it was going to be his job to carry out this deed ever since they started talking, but he never really thought of it as an actual possibility. He stared blankly into space, processing and believing what the goddess just said. Suddenly, he felt two arms touch his shoulders. He looked up and standing in front of him was Jake and Ashley. They must have been waiting for them at the House for them to get there. They looked at him with reassuring eyes.

"Did you guys know about this?" Wil asked softly.

"Yes," Ashley said kindly.

"Then why didn't you tell me sooner?" Wil snapped. His disbelief turned into anger.

"Because you weren't ready," Hera said.

Wil didn't think it was fair at all. They were Triplets! Shouldn't they be told at the same time because they were the same age? He was as ready as either of them, but they still withheld the truth from him for who knows how long. Wil clenched his fists trying to keep down his sense of betrayal.

"What else haven't you told me?" Wil asked through clenched teeth.

"I think the rest would be best spoken in private," Kakashi told them.

"I concur," Hera agreed. She was about to say more when Wil cut her off.

"I'll be up in the office," Wil grumbled then flickered out of existence.

Ashley sighed under her breath. We shouldn't have kept him in the dark for so long, she said telepathically to Jake.

He'll get over it. Once he's been told the rest of the story, he'll come around, Jake reassured. He was having second thoughts about it as well, though. He never admitted to anyone, but Wil was by far the best shinobi of the three; that is if he kept his emotions in check. The kid was as smart as Kakashi Sensei and as strong willed as the Hokage, but Naruto insisted on waiting to tell him until the time was right.

"Well," Nanako announced while clapping her hands. "I'll…ah… meet you guys up there."

With that, she body flickered up to the office. The office was circular with the whole back wall lined with glass windows that looked out over the Village. One oblong desk sat in the upper center of the room with the "Hokage" symbol on the front and two piles of scrolls on either side of it. A desk stood empty behind everything else. Nanako could practically see her father sitting in that very chair, struggling through the piles of paperwork that came with the title of Hokage. He was never good with that sort of thing, and it always humored her to see her father, such a powerful figure to struggle so immensely against a piece of paper with writing on it. But now the room was void of life, except for one lone figure looking out the right windows onto the Village. Wil had his hands behind his back and looked like a statue the way he held himself up. If someone else walked through the door, they might have mistaken him for the Hokage himself.

"Where's Hera?" Wil asked coldly.

"You know, you should have a little more respect for her. After all, she is a goddess," Nanako cautioned.

Wil turned around and stared at her with his intense, blue eyes. "If she is what she says she is, then why can't she tell me who I am?"

Nanako didn't know how to reply to that, instead she just averted her eyes to the floor.

"Do you have any idea what it's like to go around every day and wonder where exactly you came from?" Wil started up again. "I had no parents to tell me who I was, my brother and sister have kept me in the dark, and now a crazy god-lady who came from a different world is telling me I'm destined to save her world from crumbling down. I don't know about you, but that seems like a little much for one person to bear at the moment."

Defeated, Wil swung open a window (which Nanako didn't know was possible) and climb onto the lower roof. Nanako hated seeing him like this. She felt so helpless; her best friend was in turmoil and there was nothing she could do. Wil was always tortured by the expectations of his brother and sister as well as the others of the village. He never had any mom or dad to fall back on when he was depressed and felt defeated. Instead, he locked himself in his basement room and was engulfed by his studies. Sometimes he would stay in there for days on end and only came out to eat or find something he needed. She missed the days of their childhood, when there were no expectations, no worries. They just played and had fun. Wil and Nanako were different people then; so full of life and exuberance; like there was nothing they couldn't conquer.

"Together," Wil would say. "Together we can do anything."

"What if we are separated?" Nanako would always ask.

"We are always together, even when we are apart," Wil always told her. "I will always be there for you, like you will be there for me."

He hooked his index and middle finger in hers, symbolizing that they would never be apart. She would never forget the first time she looked into his eyes; so full of truth and compassion.

"Together," She repeated. Those same words rang in her ears, reminding her of what she is to do. Nanako silently crept out of the same window and walked along the sub-roof and onto a platform off to the right. She saw Wil leaning his arms against the railing, overlooking the Village. Normally, she would advise anyone within a five mile radius to not go close to him, but she knew he would never hurt her so she walked towards him.

Nanako leaned her back along the railing and joined Wil alongside him to look out at the Village. She could hear the cheerful noise of the controlled chaos of the Village streets behind her, the academy students practicing their technique, the instructors shouting encouragement and teachings; but above all Nanako could see the mountain overseeing the Village. It has every Hokage to ever rule the Leaf Village's face on it, but the one she was most proud of was the face to the far right: the face of the Sixth Hokage, her dad. She had heard stories from Kakashi Sensei about her dad's longing to become Hokage and how such dreams inspired him to do incredible things. It was true everyone had the highest expectations for her because she was his daughter; but she met them with open arms. Nanako thought of them as opportunities to best her old man. And he always encouraged her. That was the biggest difference between her and Wil. No one was there to help Wil. He never had anyone to pick him up when he fell. Now he desperately needed one of those people, and Nanako believed it was her job.

She slid a little closer to him. He didn't say anything, so Nanako thought she better start the conversation. "Do you remember when we were little, when we used to play out in the meadows outside the Village?"

Wil didn't respond. His face was as still and emotionless as stone, but his eyes said it all.

"We would play tag and roll around in the beautiful flowers. I remember one day you saved me from a stray wolf," She continued.

"Stupid circus performers let it out of its cage for too long," Wil added softly. His expression softened a little, but he was still quite troubled. Nanako turned to look at him with her caring and loving eyes. Wil couldn't look into them without fear of melting in her arms. Instead he looked straight ahead.

"You told me something that day," She told him.

"Together," Nanako began. "Together there is nothing we can't do."

She extended her hand with the two fingers pointing out.

"We will always be together, even when we are apart," Wil finished and turned to her and hooked his finger in hers. He had never forgotten about that day. It was the day when they both knew they would spend the rest of their lives together.

"I will always be there for, like you will be there for me," she told him lovingly. Wil's grip tightened as he began to gain back strength. At the sound of those words, his eyes lit back up with a light that seemed long lost in the pages of the past. The sun seemed to shine brighter for that one moment as it cleared Wil's clouded and worried mind. In that instant, Nanako knew she had the old Wil back. One who was stronger in mind and sound in body with the Will of Fire burning brightly in his soul.

"The Will of Fire burns brightly once again," Naruto announced from behind them. They turned around to see him standing with his arms crossed behind him, looking as proud as ever.

"I knew you two were the right ones to pass on my Will of Fire to," Naruto said happily. He smiled at both of them with upmost pride and joy.

"Let's go," Wil said with finality. Wil and Nanako walked back, hand in hand, to the Hokage's office. They used the door this time off to the side of the room. In the room, everyone was there. Naruto sat down in the chair behind his desk and faced the whole line up of people. Wil and Nanako stood next to Ashley and Jake, while Kakashi Sensei and Hera stood off to the side.

"Good," Hera said. "Now that we are all back on the same page, I'd like to start explaining our predicament."

"We would all very much like to hear that, but I think Wil deserves some answers first," Nanako tried to persuade the Goddess.

Hera pondered this thought for a few seconds, and then finally she complied.

"Very well," Hera started. "I will tell you about the Prophecy of the Three Worlds, but we might need chairs for this story."

Unfortunately, there were no chairs in the Hokage's office, but that didn't stop Hera. She waved her hand over a specific section of the room and five simple chairs winked into existence.

"Nifty!" Wil said and sat in one. Everyone else grabbed a chair and positioned themselves on either side of the Hokage's desk, facing Hera in the center of the room.

"Good," Hera said. "We can start."

Ever since Wil walked back into this room with Nanako, he felt rejuvenated and enlightened. He was lost on the trail of life, hung up by the twists and turns of doubt and uncertainty. He thought he could escape them by locking himself in his room and focusing solely on his studies, but it only seemed to worsen his conditions. Only when he trained with Nanako did he seem to get closer and closer to the right path. Now, Wil believed he is once again treading the path toward greatness. Now he listened intently to the Goddess's words.

"In the beginning the universe was merely a void of nothingness, a blank slate, until one day a group of four immensely powerful beings came into existence. They were called the Celestials. Their powers were so immense they could manipulate the Threads of Time and the Gears of Space to create whole worlds. But mingling with such powerful forces like the Threads and Gears comes at a price. The Celestial's powers were drained to the point where they were but a fraction of what they once were. In a last attempt to save them, they bound each other to three different worlds they created in their own image. They are storing up their energy until the day they exact their vengeance on the very things that put them there."

"Two resided in my home world, Gaea and Tartarus, the living embodiment of Earth and the Underworld. One bound itself to your world, under the name of the Juubi. The Juubi was the most primal of the Celestials, as in your myths and legends he is portrayed as a ten-tailed monster with one enormous eye. The Juubi was consumed by hatred and a longing for the power that it lost due to the effects of the Threads and Gears. It threatened to destroy the world it had created and absorb its essence to gain more power, but was captured by the Sage of Six Paths, an exceptionally powerful shinobi of unknown origin. He became its host, its jinchūriki. It was dormant for many years, until one of your own, Naruto Uzumaki slayed the beast once and for all. Your world was saved by the Primordial Deity of Hatred."

"What does all this have to do with us then? I mean if our world has already been saved, then why are you here?" Wil asked.

"I ask for your help," Hera explained. "Gaea, Mother Earth, is waking from her induced slumber and threatens to rip my world to ribbons. My heroes are strong and valiant, but they lack direction. I need warriors who know the path to show my heroes the way."

No amount of pep-talk could prepare Wil for the magnitude of this situation. He sat forward and stared at the ground, processing this new information. Hera wants him to lead a bunch of "heroes" from a different world against the living embodiment of their planet. One thing was for sure, it would not be like another Chunin Exam.

"Am I allowed to take someone with me?" Wil finally asked. He was done with the processing stage and now on to the forming of a plan stage.

"I'm afraid Kakashi and Naruto's time has passed," Hera told him.

"That's good, because I wasn't even thinking of bringing them," Wil said flatly. Naruto shot him a surprised look.

"You have a plan, don't you?" Kakashi asked, but he already knew the answer.

Wil nodded. Nanako was astonished how Wil could come up with a plan so quickly. She was still trying to make sense of the story Hera just told them.

"I choose Nanako," Wil announced. This shocked her, even though it probably shouldn't have. She looked at him with wide, uncertain eyes, but he looked up and met her gaze. He smiled reassuringly, as if to say: "We got this."

"What of the third world?" Nanako asked. "You mentioned that there were three worlds."

"Their leaders have already reached out to Jakob and Ashley for guidance," Hera explained.

"We are off to help the Wizards and Witches of Hogwarts as soon as you leave," Jake told them. All those words were completely alien to everyone else's ears, even the Hokage's.

"Well, whoever they are, let's hope they're friendly," the Hokage said.

"When are we to leave?" Nanako asked.

"There are very few ways in which you can navigate the highways between these worlds," Hera started. "One is if you are a god, like I am you can come and go as you please, but there is another, more restricted way for mortals; and I believe one of you has already found a way to bridge the gap."

"Are you saying I use my Flying Thunder God technique?" Wil asked.

"Precisely," Hera confirmed. In theory, it was a genius idea, but it has one major drawback.

"I don't mean to burst your bubble or anything, but in order for me to teleport anywhere, a kunai must be present in that specific location," Wil explained.

"Now that poses a problem," Hera said unfortunately.

"Well… Maybe there is a way," Nanako piped up.

Everyone turned their heads to look at her, awaiting her proposal. She blushed a little bit (which Wil thought was so cute) when all of their eyes were looking at her, but she continued. "What if Hera takes a kunai back to her world and gives it to be people we need to help?"

"Nanako, you're a genius!" Wil exclaimed.

"It's a great idea," Jake agreed. "If the kunai is present, Wil is able to sense its whole surroundings, giving us a good picture of the landscape already."

Wil nodded. You have been paying attention, Will smirked telepathically, pointing out his brother's analysis of his signature Jutsu. Jake only smiled.

"Well, at least we know how they're getting there," Ashley said. "But how are Jake and I supposed to get there? I mean, even Wil can't be in three worlds at once."

"I've already taken care of that," Kakashi said. He had remained quiet for the whole time, but that's the way he usually acts. He always thinks through everything before he acts, analyzing every little detail in a blink of an eye and executing perfect plans constantly. That is why he was of the most coveted Ninjas in Leaf Village history.

"How did you manage to get to the other world without the FTG Technique?" Wil asked in disbelief.

"This is not the first time our world's paths have crossed before," Kakashi told them.

"You mean to tell us that we have come into contact with the Witches and Wizards before?" Jake asked.

"There was a recent, pretty recent account of a Wizard by the name of Dumbledore who was able to cross over into our world using a special summoning spell," Kakashi told the group.

"He had somehow mastered a reverse-summoning Jutsu by using dragon blood and a special spell," Naruto budded in. "He came peacefully, only looking for knowledge and guidance. Neither Kurama nor I saw any evil in him, so we simply gave him what he deserved."

"Did he tell you how to use this reverse-summoning technique?" Jake asked. If it was possible, then it would make their job a whole lot easier. It also helped having an ally on the other side that already knew about the two worlds and was sympathetic towards them.

"Yes, but it would take days to prepare the summoning. There are certain requirements that have to be met," Kakashi explained. "We first must wait for a lunar eclipse, which according to my calculations; the next one should be three days from now."

"Is there anything else we need?" Ashley asked. When she said that, she spoke for the whole group.

"You are going to need to be on top of your game," Hera told them. "These other worlds can be very different, but equally, if not more dangerous."

There was an eerie silence as that fact sunk into everyone's mind. Wil was the first to break the silence. He stood up from his chair and stretched. "So it's settled then! We will leave on the night of the Lunar Eclipse."

"Very Well," Naruto finally decreed. "You four best prepare for your missions. It is a long and perilous road paved out for you."

"What will become of you, Hera?" Kakashi asked.

"I will leave for the time being. I sense my world misses me," She told him.

"One final question, my lady," Wil blurted out. Nanako was surprised by the sudden spark of respect he used.

"Yes, master Wilhelm?" Hera turned to him with a kind smile.

"What is your world like? The one we're traveling to?"

Hera thought for a moment, and then held out her hand. "Give me your kunai and I will show you."

The way she knew so much about Will's Jutsu astounded him. Maybe she actually was a goddess after all. She knew that wherever the kunai is activated, Will has a special bond with it allowing him to know its surroundings. There is one drawback though, in order for him to get a good picture, he must meditate and focus on it. He would have to meditate for a long time to survey the surroundings of the new world Nanako and he would be visiting. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a FTG Kunai and handed it over to the goddess.

"Where are you going to put it so I can see everything?" Wil asked.

"Oh, you'll see soon enough," Hera said slyly. "Now, I must leave, my husband has a sort of…thunderous temper."

With those last words, she disappeared in a blinding flash of light, leaving the Ninja World. Naruto finally stood up and stretched.

"You four are to return home and prepare for the mission," He ordered.

"Yes, sir!" They all exclaimed at once, and body flickered out of the room.

Packing for the mission was relatively easy for some, but for the others it was a nightmare; especially for Will. Jake and Ashley were calm and collected when they arrived at their house. For the situation, they are the ones who should be frantic, because their way of getting to the World of Wizards and Witches is unpredictable and with reverse-summoning techniques not performed correctly, there is always a small chance of death. All Wil had to do for his gateway to his world and wait for Hera's signal and teleport him and Nanako safely to their destination. But it seems like the roles were switched, and it all started that night.

Jake and Ashley went straight home, probably to prepare for whatever horrors and wonders await them in the Third World. Will on the other hand headed straight for the practice fields. He found a place well out of anyone's way to practice his technique. It was a craggy, stone valley. Rolling plains of cracked stone stretched out for miles in every direction. Dotting the valley are giant boulders the size of small houses and as dense as the planet itself. Through Wil's training he had torn through a countless number of boulders while working on his Rasengan or other various techniques he possesses, but it seems that for every boulder he destroys, two more pop up in a different place. He was always puzzled by that occurrence. Chasms as well as small mountains made their home in this desolate valley, and through his rare dealings, Will has found what creatures dwell within them. Today Will decided not to go looking for any more caves that might house horrid creatures whose sole purpose in life is to chew his head off or worse.

He took this time to practice his FTG Technique as well as his Rasengan. He was overjoyed when he successfully used the Rasengan in battle only a day before and unfortunately has never tried since. Wil wandered around the valley, searching for his regular training spot. He could always tell because the stones began to form spiral carvings of his previous attempts at the Rasengan, or deep cut marks from his various Wind Style techniques. He walked passed a towering boulder that was sliced cleanly in half. He stopped to remember how he had done that, and then it came to him: He had used a special ability taught to him by one of the Hokage's friends, Sora. He showed him how to use Wil's wind attribute chakra to expand the lethality and striking range of his Kunai. By channeling Wind Chakra into the blade of the kunai, he was able to sharpen it so it could cut through stone. His final challenge he faced was slicing one of these giant boulders in half; and it had fruitful results.

Wil had finally found a suitable target for his Rasengan, another large boulder. This one was void of any slash marks or spiral attacks, so it was ideal to test out a new technique. He held out his hand and focused a high concentration into his hand. Then he condensed that chakra to a spinning ball, like he had done thousands of times in the past. Instantly, a glowing yellow ball of high velocity chakra came to life in his hand. The best part about the Rasengan is, as long as you maintain your concentration enough, it's self-sustaining so the user doesn't have to keep pumping chakra into the technique. It was truly a masterful technique.

Wil wasted no time as he thrust the Rasengan ball into the rock. It detonated with the force of twenty paper bombs. The blast disintegrated the rock in ferocious whirlwind of spiraling chakra. Debris and dust fell on Will and as it cleared, the only thing left of the boulder was a pile of rubble. He looked at his hand in surprise. Something was wrong with the Jutsu. When Naruto showed him how it should look like, it didn't blast the stone into rubble; it dug and sliced through it. There was only one explanation; he needed to keep concentrating throughout the duration of the attack. The rest of the day was focused on further enhancing the technique. Each time he created a Rasengan and struck the stone, it obliterated instead of sliced. The annihilation of the rock wasn't all bad, the Jutsu was still immensely powerful, but if he could control the chakra more, he could take down more than one enemy at a time with one Rasengan. Wil also realized that he could only create six or seven Rasengan balls before he exhausted his chakra. He made a mental note to work on his chakra stamina more.

He kept trying until the late afternoon as the sun's rays turned a crimson scarlet, casting its soft, fleeting glow on the boulders. Wil noticed that whenever he used his chakra, its color changed with the color of the sun. When it was morning and the sun was just coming over the sky, it matched its orange hue. During the equinox of the day, his chakra turned a golden yellow corresponding with the afternoon sun. Finally, in the evening, his chakra turned a scarlet red. He had just demolished another stone with no luck of controlling the spiral ball. His clothes were soaked in sweat and his hair looked as if someone had poured a giant bucket of water on his head. His chakra was completely depleted and his muscles ached in every part of his body. He slumped to the ground on his knees in complete enervation. He looked around him with his fatigued eyes and saw the remains of the boulders he had blown up when he saw a pattern. He had struck them in a circular pattern, and he could see there was more that was left of the boulder with every alternative strike. He wondered if it was because he kept becoming more fatigued with every blow, or that he was slowly improving. There was only one way to find out; he had to try one more time.

Willing himself to stand, he picked himself off the craggy ground. He held out his left hand and grabbed onto his wrist for stability and concentrated. He had used both hands to create the Rasengan balls, and over the course of the day they have been scratched and beaten up from the training. This would be his last attempt before the day draws to a close and he wanted to make the best of it. He concentrated the last bit of chakra he had left. Slowly, a scarlet ball of circulating chakra spiraled into existence. Wil never broke his concentration in the slightest; he knew where his target was. He bent his knees and took off with legendary speed toward the last remaining boulder around him. He used every ounce of his will to hold the Rasengan together when it collided with the boulder.

When it hit, it looked like it was about to explode again, but Wil wouldn't have that. He tried harder than ever, letting out a war cry of sorts as he pushed it in farther into the stone. The spiral ball punctured the boulder, ripping through the stone like a kunai slicing through the air. It kept its shape! Will pushed farther into the boulder, tearing it apart. The outsides began to implode as the Rasengan's spiral force pulled it in like a gravitational pull. Wil went straight through the boulder, reducing it to tiny pebbles behind him. He looked at his hands one more time. He had done it, he tore the boulder apart. Normally, someone who accomplished such a feat would celebrate, but the physical fatigue was too great. Wil felt as if he hadn't slept for a year and was about to collapse from it. His legs were the first to give out as he began to fall. Instead of hitting the ground though, he landed on something softer. Wil forced his eyes open slightly and saw that he landed slumped over on Kakashi Sensei's back.

"Were you here the whole time?" Wil managed to ask.

"Yup, you did very well. I'm proud of you," he looked back and smiled.

"Thanks," Wil tried to smile, but the exhaustion took him and he bonked out.

**Feel free to review! I appreciate any and all thoughts you have to offer me. Knowledge is power am I right? Thanks for Reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

The next thing he knew, he was waking up on his bed in his room with Nanako sitting next to him. The scene wasn't too out of the ordinary, but what made it awkward was that he wasn't wearing any clothes. He also felt freshly bathed. Wil couldn't help but blush out of embarrassment a little.

"How did I get here?" Wil asked groggily.

"Kakashi brought you here while he was out collecting ingredients for the special summoning ritual," Nanako explained. She couldn't help but blush about something either. Did she have something to do with Wil being naked and freshly bathed? She did seem to be trying very hard to keep eye contact so they don't wander to other, more revealing parts of Wil's body.

"Where are Jake and Ashley?"

"They are out preparing themselves for their journey," Nanako told him softly.

That was the spark Wil needed to get going again. Suddenly, he felt more alert; the soreness in his body was gone and he was reenergized. "I have to get back to my training. There's still so much I haven't practiced yet, not to mention further enhancing my Rasengan…"

Nanako stopped his blabbering by placing a hand on his chest and softly pushing him down. "Relax, Wilhelm. Rest is just as beneficial as training, especially with something like this mission coming up."

As she talked, she moved closer to him and started to slowly lie down beside him. "Just relax and let your mind go blank. We're together now and that's all that matters."

"I-I guess I could lay here for a little bit," Wil stammered. His face must have been bright red because he was feeling really hot. Nanako was lying down only inches from his naked body and the only thing separating them were a few layers of cloth. Through the immense embarrassment he was feeling, a part of him actually thought it was very comforting and, well relaxing. That thought slowly invaded and assimilated his brain as he became more accustomed to her laying there and looking at him with her gorgeous blue eyes. She did look really beautiful today, Wil thought to himself. That's when she did something unexpected; she slipped one hand under the covers. Instantly, Will thought to pull away, but before he could react, she grabbed his hand. Her touch still sent electricity through his body, but he was calmer that she picked his hand over other things. She brought it up through the blankets and held it there. Nanako's hand was so soft, yet strong in Wil's.

Nanako could stay there forever, she decided. She never wanted to move away from this perfect moment. Wil's hand was strong and protective, yet passionate and careful while holding hers. The bed was also soft, but Wil's presence made it all the more comfortable and inviting. For these precious moments, she completely forgot about her mission that was only a day away. She forgot everything; the only thing that she had room in her mind was this one moment. She could almost sleep beside Wil the whole night. His presence alone was so warm and inviting. She unconsciously started to drift off to sleep, and thankfully, so was Wil. They both slept there silently, enjoying each other's warm presence until Wil was plagued with nightmares.

The "nightmares" weren't hardly nightmares, but visions of a different land, a different world. Wil first thought he had taken form of an eagle soaring over a vast, alien scene. It was only until later that he realized it was his kunai that was being carried by an eagle. The landscape he envisioned through the Kunai was without a doubt a setting from the other world; the world he was destined to go to. The Eagle was flying low and gradually picking up altitude over a vast forest of pine trees. The forest then began to open up more until when Wil noticed something, a pathway with an arch over it. He was close enough to read the sign: Camp Half-Blood.

The eagle soared over the entrance sign and Wil was hit with a most majestic sight. He had climbed the top of a large hill with a singular Pine tree around it. What was wrapped around it was unimaginable; a dragon lay curled up around the tree. It snorted out smoke from its nostrils; it looked as if it was taking a nap. To Wil's left, he could see a large stream flowing steadily down the hill. Following the right of the stream was a giant structure where he saw his first glimpse of the inhabitants. Many people, kids by the looks of it, were rushing in and out of the building. That's when he saw the most peculiar thing of all. The creature that strode out of the building was a man from the waist up, but downwards, it had the body of a horse. He recalled reading about some sort of creature, a Centaur it was called. He noted that if he ever saw one of those, he would like to study it.

The eagle flew over the building toward the next part. Another peculiar place was the next section of this "Camp Half-Blood". Laid out before Wil were segmented parts of ground with a singular net suspended about eight feet in the air spanning the width of the section, separating it in half. There were four or five kids on each side of the net that took turns hitting a large, white ball over the net. It was obviously some sort of sport, and Wil was impressed by the people's athleticism as one side's player jumped well over the height of the net and smacked the ball out of the air right into the face of an opposing player. That side cheered as if they had just won the game. Wil made another mental note to try out this new sport. The scene moved again to pavilions where even more campers sat at large tables making very complex works of art.

It wasn't too long until Wil's eagle soared over a lake where the water from the stream pooled together and continued its journey on the opposite side, flowing towards the sea. The eagle flew over a large theater like structure. There were many rows of stone seats that rose in a crater like fashion around a central stage. It reminded Wil of the arena he had fought in for the Chunin Exams. At this time though, this theater was empty, but he could grasp a little of what it was used for. The bird swooped down lower so Wil could get a more ground level look at the surroundings. In the distance, he saw archery fields where many warriors honed their skills with bows. Although he could not feel the wind or the smells in the air, his vision was magnified as he could see a single blade of grass flow in the wind. The eagle finally soared back up just in time to slowly fly over a rock-climbing wall. It looked a lot easier than what Wil was used to, but it did have a nice touch to it: lava flowed down it occasionally, adding an extra challenge to the course. Wil would want to try that as well. He wasn't so much frightened by this new world anymore, as he was excited about the new things he would see and learn.

The rolling fields and dense forests finally gave way to a sandy beach, then an open sea. The sun in this world was almost identical to the one in Wil's world. It shone with its brilliance over the sea making the water seem to twinkle and gleam when it reflected its light. The eagle did a wide turn, making sure Wil could see everything and then started on the left side of the stream. The first thing on the left of the stream was another large building, but this looked as if it was for meals, as kids with treats and other foods walked out of its doors. Farther away from the stream was a dense forest that probably spanned the whole western border of the camp. It was different from the other forests on the east side; darker, more mysterious and sinister. Wil had a premonition that there were unspoken evils in that forest just waiting to be found. Continuing on, the eagle flew over a large section of the camp where the living quarters were. Wil counted twenty cabin-like buildings in all, and each was decorated and designed in a unique way. They all formed a "U" shape with one central building in the middle. That one didn't look like a living quarter, but more like a public restroom.

The scene moved on to an enclosed arena. Even though Wil could not hear anything going on in this world yet, he could imagine that this arena, contrary to the open theater on the eastern side, would be bustling with life with the various fights going on. The final two sections of the camp was a stable for strange horses (some even had wings!) and an armory where the camp's weapons were forged and stored. The eagle flew over one of the last geographical features of the enclosure; strawberry fields. This was the place where Wil longed to smell, he loved the scent of strawberries.

He thought his journey at the camp was done, until the eagle turned an unexpected right, heading toward the western forest. For safety, the eagle climbing high over the trees so Wil could survey the whole scene. With his enhanced vision Wil could see into the forest. He saw more campers wearing the same type of armor that Wil had seen that kid in his other dreams wearing. There was a red and blue team as well, so there was no mistake they were playing Capture the Flag. Wil saw a small battalion of blues running through the forest until they reached a clearing of sorts. In the middle of the clearing was another river separating it into two sides. This was where the bulk of the fighting took place. Reds clashed with Blues, fighting for whatever land they could conquer. That's when he noticed something, there were less blues than reds out in the fields. He wondered if the red team was too good and thinned out the blues ranks, or the blues were on defense. None of those turned out to be the case. While the reds steadily pushed back the blue force in the clearing, There was a ruckus in the trees behind the red's troops. Suddenly, out of the underbrush surged a giant of a man with only one central eye riding an even bigger doglike creature. The man, or Cyclops as Wil recalled it, had the red team's flag in hand as it charged toward the blue's side of the battlegrounds. Soon, the rest of the blue's forces sprang from the trees, hacking and slashing the red's remaining forces in a genius pincer movement. The rest of the blues guarding their flag came to join the offense in the middle as they brought the flag to victory.

The Offense's captain, the Cyclops, hopped off its stead and ran over to the defense's leader, a much shorter blond girl. She looked overjoyed to win the game, but there was something else in her mind that troubled her. Wil had seen her once before, in a dream with that other kid with the black hair and the amazing mastery over water. They seemed to have a thing between each other, and Wil could guarantee that this wouldn't be the last time he would see her. All the images faded and Wil woke with a start.

He woke up to see yet another uninvited intervention. Ashley, Jake, and Nanako were in his room. "Why is that every time I wake up, I'm surrounded by you guys?" Will grumbled irritation. Then he immediately remembered something important, he was still naked! He grabbed as many blankets as possible and covered himself.

"That's not important right now," Jake said. "You had a dream about your world, didn't you?"

Wil nodded. He has been told before that when he sees "visions" of distant place, he somehow ends up sitting cross-legged with arms resting on his legs as if he was meditating.

"What did you see?" Nanako asked curiously. He was certain she had not seen him in that state of absence. It's definitely awkward to witness, according to Jake and Ashley. Nevertheless, Nanako didn't show any signs of awkwardness, rather than a wanting for knowledge.

"Okay, I'll tell you, but first I would like to put some clothes on," Wil then proceeded to body flicker behind the changing curtain so no one would see his nude body. He was very grateful to find that his pajamas were behind the curtain. He changed swiftly and went back to sit with his kin on giant mat in the middle of the room. Then he began to tell them his story of how he was taken to the far forest on the back of an eagle. He spoke of the arched entrance that read "Camp Half-Blood" and of the sheer numbers of campers who were there.

"Close to the entrance of the camp was a large building that I'm guessing was the Headquarters of their whole operation they had going on there," Will told them. "There was one shocking thing I learned about it though; their Leader is a Centaur."

"What's a Centaur?" Nanako asked like the word was completely alien to her, which it probably was.

"Centaurs are, or were, mythical creatures of old that from the waist up they had the body of a man, but down the body of a horse," Wil explained.

"Your new world is full of strange creatures," Ashley told them. She must have been referring to the dragon curled up around the pine tree as well.

"Anyways," Wil changed the subject. "The campers, or warriors, or whatever they are, were playing a very curious sport that involved a white, bouncy ball and an eight foot high net."

"We don't need to know about the sports they play," Jake stopped him.

"Right, the important stuff," Wil agreed trying to focus. "The camp's population is very diverse; there are artists, warriors, blacksmiths, and a whole matter of mysterious creatures. It had a rather large armory, two arenas, and..."

"And what?" Nanako asked impatiently. Wil was too busy remembering the western forest. The thought of it brought a chill through his bones.

"There was a forest on the western side of the camp," Wil said slowly. His voice became darker and more ominous. "It was a dark forest, no doubt full of even blacker evils. The strange thing was I saw the warriors fighting in the forest. They were playing a game, Capture the Flag. That's when I saw… them."

"Who are they?" Ashley asked confused. "Is it a creature from the forest?"

"I have seen them once before, in a dream prior to this one," Wil said. "It was a party of three but one character was missing."

Wil didn't want to tell anyone of the dreams he had about the black haired kid fighting against impossible enemies with the blonde girl and the Cyclops. Not yet, anyways. "There was a blonde girl, about a year or two older than us, and equally as intelligent. Then there's the Cyclops."

"Cyclops?" Jake asked.

"A one-eyed behemoth of a man," Wil explained quickly. "He rode a large dog that looked like it was from hell. They were on the same team for Capture the Flag, and you could guess who was on offense."

"You're telling us that this new world will have Giants?" Nanako asked a little frightened.

"Essentially, yes," Wil agreed. "but this Cyclops was different than what you'd expect, it seemed very friendly. When its team won, he went up to the blonde girl and gave her an enormous hug."

"Very strange," Ashley said while thinking.

"Nanako and I will need to figure out a plan of action before we teleport away. What about you two?" Wil asked.

"Kakashi Sensei gave us the information he received from that Dumbledore dude when he first arrived here," Jake explained.

"We are still in the process of making a game plan for our world," Ashley told them.

"We would inform you of what we're thinking, but as of now, we have nothing to go on," Jake looked disappointed at himself. He's usually the master of scheming and coming up with ingenious plans, but tonight he seems as befuddled as the rest of us.

"The deadline is almost upon us," Nanako reminded the group. "At dusk of the next day, we must be ready, for anything."

"If it means fighting giants, or armor-clad warriors, or whatever your world is going to throw at you, we must account for everything, especially our weaknesses."

That one word could possibly describe Jake and Wil's whole fighting style; their weaknesses. At first glance, there would be no flaws in either of their techniques or abilities, which there probably aren't. There is a deeper, more malevolent force at work inside either of them. They have been cursed and bound to the celestial bodies that make their home in the sky: The Sun and Moon. Wil's chakra doesn't just change color according to the stage of the Sun, it also gains or loses power. At Midday, Wil is at the height of his power with a golden white chakra. At dusk when the sun is red, Wil's power fades as well as his chakra, turning a crimson red. Only at dawn does his power return and the cycle continues on.

While Wil's power depends on the Sun, Jake's depends on the phases of the Moon. His powers reach their height when the moon is high in the night sky. Together, they have gone to great lengths and strategies to counteract or hide their weaknesses, but they could never really diminish their curse. They both have wondered if Ashley had a curse in her as well, but she has never shown signs of a mortal weakness. They would have to take great care to protect themselves against these weaknesses in the worlds to come.

"We will be able to defend ourselves," Wil spoke up for the two. "And if we can't we have partners to fall back on." He looked at Nanako and smiled. "The best partners I'd ever want."

Nanako blushed and looked down. She felt the same way; she didn't want to be paired up with anyone else. Wil was her most compatible match, in fighting and most other things.

"Then it's settled," Ashley announced. "Tomorrow, all of us will start packing, then the ensuing night we will be launched to our new worlds."

Everyone stood up and silence fell over them. Finally, everyone exchanged hugs. Wil hugged Ashley first and he said telepathically, Be careful, sis.

You too, little bro, She replied and squeezed Will harder. His head went straight into her chest and was smothered by her larger breasts, but he was used to it by now. He secretly never got passed the fact that she and Jake were always inches taller than him even though they were triplets.

Nanako hugged Jake first. She had always been good friends with Wil's siblings. Occasionally, the four of them would split into different pairs and fought against each other for training. One day it would be Wil and Nanako versus Jake and Ashley, but other days it could be the boys against the girls. She had grown to trust and like Wil's brother and sister through each one of those battles. When she was done, Wil and her switched partners. Ashley embraced her like a sister, and Nanako felt the same way. Aside from the occasional bouts with the boys, the two girls of the foursome spent a lot of time together. While Jake and Wil were off on missions, they usually went out for lunch together, took trips to the hot springs or spas, or shopped. They also went on their own missions together where they continued the bond of sisterhood. Ashley liked to coin the phrase, "Sister from another mister" because they weren't actually sisters. It was a little ironic as well because Ashley didn't have a father. There have been rumors about her that she fell from a falling star that came crashing down in the village, but that was mostly used as pick-up lines guys recited to her when they were out in public.

"I'm going to miss you," Ashley said solemnly.

"Me, too," Nanako agreed with the same tone. "Promise me when this is all done, we go to the hot springs and talk about what we saw?"

"It's a deal,"

Wil hugged Jake for the last time. They both knew they wouldn't be seeing each other for a long time, so they each made this last one count. I want you back in one piece, okay? Jake told him.

Don't worry about me, I don't want to come back here and see you decapitated or anything, Wil countered. May your blade be sharp and your wits sharper, brother.

God's speed, my brother, Jake told him. They both had full confidence that each other could handle the daunting task, but as brothers they were implied to worry for each other. Wil knew Jake's skill with a Katana and Jake knew how fast Wil was. Remember, you fight the best in the sun.

And you fight best under the moon, try to make those hours count, Wil told him.

They finished up and turned to the girls. Wil surveyed his companions. Their expressions told him all he needed to know. He knew none of them would get any sleep tonight because they would be thinking about the following missions. Wil was sure about one thing, he would not let them sleep in his room.

"Now that we've got that all taken care of, could you all possibly get out of my room!?"

He didn't get the reaction he was expecting. Instead of them hurrying upstairs, they all started to laugh. Jake padded him on the shoulder and said, "He's right, we should all get some sleep, goodnight everyone." He continued to chuckle up the stairs to his room.

Ashley came over and kissed him on the cheek. "Goodnight, Wil." Then she followed Jake up the stairs. Nanako was the only person left with Wil, again.

"Are you going to kick me out, too?" She asked innocently and acted like an innocent little girl. Wil found that to be insanely cute.

"Why would I want to kick you out?" Wil recovered. He put his arm around her waist and walked her to the bed. They lied down beside one another and curled up together under the blankets. Before they knew it, they fell asleep in each other's arms.

Wil woke up just like any other day, right as the sun was coming up over the trees. He never really knew the sun was up due to his basement bedroom, but each time he set foot outside, there it was. He surveyed his surroundings; everything was as he had left it before, except for a new atmosphere that had descended upon the room. Today is the day he would travel to a new world through space and time and help its own heroes save it from whatever evils they have to face. He remembered Hera the Queen Goddess say that they would need his and Nanako's specialties and skill sets to aid their counterparts.

Speaking of Nanako, Wil had almost forgotten about her. He lay on his back in the bed with his shoulders and head supported by pillows and Nanako curled up below him, resting on his chest. Her body was warm and comforting. She breathed softly with a slight, peaceful smile on her face as she slept. That smile was contagious because Wil couldn't help but smile down at her, and started having second thoughts about leaving. He had to leave though; there was something imperative he needed to do. Without making a sound, he used his amazing speed to substitute a pillow for his own body before Nanako's head even wilted. He put on normal clothes, blue shorts and a white t-shirt with red flames on the edges. Nothing too fancy, he was keeping his uniform and other equipment for the mission. He silently slipped them on and before leaving, he stole a quick glance back at Nanako. He passed through the house without a sound and out into the crisp morning air.

Nanako had fallen asleep to the soothing, steady heartbeat of Wil's. She could listen to it for ages and still never get tired of it. His chest was like a muscular pillow that was warm to the touch. She could sleep on it for ages and never get tired of it. She grew so accustomed to those things, that she knew something was wrong when his chest grew cold and soft and his heart stopped beating. She woke up alarmed, to see that she was cuddling a pillow. She groggily raised her head to see where Wil might have gone. He wasn't kidnapped, because his pajamas still lay on the floor at the foot of his dresser. She deduced that he must have woken up early to do whatever it is Wils do in the morning. She didn't care too much, but she missed cuddling with him. Nanako was never an early riser, so she was off to dreamland before she knew it.

Meanwhile, Wil was on his early morning walk throughout the streets of the Village. He wanted to take a look of his old home before he was warped off this world and onto the next. Memories, good and bad, flooded his memory when he passed a building or area of significance. He walked past the academy and remembered his young years training to become the ninja he was today. He remembered always duking it out with his brother and sister in class, as well as sparring off against Nanako in Taijutsu class (where such battles were rarely won). Next, he past the armory where he struck a deal of a lifetime with the owner so he could have his special kunai forged in order to make a Flying Thunder God Kunai. Next, he past Ichiraku Ramen where he was treated on occasion by the Hokage himself for a post-training meal. Apparently, Naruto knew the original owner before he died and his daughter took over the business. Naruto had gone there countless times in the past, and as Hokage, made sure they kept in business, not like they needed it anyways. Wil was also very fond of their Ramen and thought it was his highlight of the day whenever he dined there.

Wil ended up making a loop around the Village while he started heading back to his house. He entered the house as silently as he left it, but there were new sounds to be heard in the building. The shower was running and the soft music Ashley always listens to when she takes one. Jake was still rummaging through his room, probably just waking up. Wil crept down to his room in the basement to check on Nanako. Not to his surprise, she was still asleep. She laid in the bed the same she had before Wil left, but the covers were over her now, telling him that she must have known that he left. He couldn't just crawl back into bed, so he went to his desk. There was a special project he was working on there, he is dissecting a unique Space-Time Barrier the Fourth Hokage used to negate and repel attacks from an enemy. Countless scrolls were read then tossed and wrote in for notes and kept in the bookcases. He believes he had finally cracked the code to using the Jutsu more efficiently and quite possibly making a sustainable barrier that would transport any foreign object to a desired location. In essence, he is working on a portal Jutsu that could potentially be better than the Flying Thunder God Technique. He had kept this project under wraps and no one else knew about it, even the Hokage. He plans to take his research with him on the trip, among other things.

He grabbed a pack from the hangers by his dresser and started stuffing desired scrolls into it. He then heard a rustling of sheets coming from the bed. He snapped his head to see what it was, but it was just Nanako shifting in her sleep. He continued to pack his research into the pack and when he was finished, moved to get dressed for the occasion. In hindsight, he should have started dressing first, since Nanako was sound asleep, but the world forced him to undress himself just when she started to wake up. He never went behind the changing curtain either, which he would come to regret. Wil had just pulled down his shorts and taken off his shirt as Nanako sat up in the bed. She rubbed her eyes as her body slowly adjusted to the land of the Awake. She looked around the room, and then saw Wil slipping out of his shorts. She smiled slyly and asked, "Are you going to give me a show?"

Wil was so startled that he made a yelping noise and tripped and fell behind the changing curtain. "I thought you were asleep!?"

"I was, but then I woke up," She said with a condescending tone. "And I opportunistically woke up just in time for a show."

"I am not going to strip for you!" Wil shouted behind the curtain. He acted like it was the most absurd thing he had ever heard.

"Oh, come on. Who do you think got you out of those dusty, sweaty clothes?" She asked with a sly tone.

Wil had really hoped it was Ashley, but his suspicions were corrected. Nanako couldn't see it, but Wil's face was as red as tomato from embarrassment. "H-how did you manage to do that?" He asked while slipping on his special undergarments. They were flexible, skin-tight pants and long-sleeve shirt that was as light as a feather, but strong enough to deflect kunai or shuriken blows. It also kept him cool when he needed to be, or hot depending on the weather. He picked it off of a rogue ninja he had ran into during a mission once. The rogue called it Under-Armor, and he kept it for more dangerous missions, like this one.

"There are… special means to taking off apparel from an unconscious patient," She explained. Her voice was hinting something a little more erotic though.

Wil now moved to the denial phase of embarrassment. "You know what? I don't even want to know anymore."

"Oh, come on sourpuss," Nanako teased. "It could have been worse, and besides, you look great!"

Wil slipped on his white shirt and a white jacket with red flames on the ends of them. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

Nanako poked her head around the changing curtain and smiled. "Why not?" She came closer to him and whispered in his ear, "By the way, I was very impressed with your little package."

Wil was really surprised at her sudden lustfulness, but in a way, he was attracted to her. She moved closer and started to reach her hand a little low for comfort. Wil caught her hand and brought it back up to his chest. With the other hand, he held her waist and subtly moved her to the side while he locked eyes with her.

"I really appreciate the compliment," he began as they slowly switched places. "But I don't think this is neither the time nor place to delve into these, intimate feelings of our relationship."

With those last words, he broke apart from her and opened a door into his wardrobe where he kept all his battle ready apparel. There was a shelf that kept his ever important golden ring, his family pendant that his siblings also wear, and his headband. He slipped on his ring, before Nanako came back into the picture, leaning against the door. Wil looked straight into the mirror on the inside of the door and tried not to raise his gaze into her eyes, because he knew if he did, he would give into her lust.

"I beg to differ," She argued. "We are the only people in this room and your brother and sister are too busy with their own preparations to worry about us. That gives us about a two hour window to… explore."

Wil was having a civil war inside his head about looking up at her and giving in, or fighting to stay sane. He occupied himself by putting on his pendant, which was an intricate shape of a brilliant star connected to a tip of a crescent moon that was all encased in a golden sun border. Wil had his suspicions of what those three attributes meant, but he couldn't be one hundred percent certain. He tried to keep his mind busy as possible so he didn't give in to his feelings.

"As much as I'd love to 'explore'," He stated as he reached for his headband. "I'm afraid Jake and Ashley are almost done packing and would come down here soon enough to check on me."

Wil tied his headband snuggly on his head and gently closed the wardrobe door. He mustered all the will power he had to look her straight in the eyes. Nanako's eyes were full of curiosity and a lustful longing for Wil. This was proving to be a major battle of wits and self-restraint for him. He started to reach for her, but instead of grabbing other places, he took hold of her shoulders. He held her there firmly, so she wouldn't go anywhere or try anything, but gently enough so she didn't feel restrained.

"There is one other thing," He put on the most convincing face he had as he talked. "As much as I'd love to do it, I have too much respect for you, and I don't want to hurt that respect. You are an amazing person, outside and in, but there is a time and place for everything, and right now, I don't think I'm ready for it."

Ashley looked defeated, but deep down she understood. Ever since last night, she had longed for him to love her, to fully complete her, so to speak. And now, to be shut down like that was very demoralizing. It did feel good to know that Wil cared for her that much and respected her as a person. She could see in his eyes as well that he wanted to do it as well, but better judgment took over before hers did.

She managed a smile, then said, "If you won't do it then, at least make my time worthwhile."

Wil got the message and didn't hesitate as he leaned down and kissed her on the lips. She tried one last time to suede him by pressing her body against his and kissing with more passion. Wil anticipated this and grabbed a hold of her waist and gently pried her off him.

"Nice try," Wil said after they finished.

"You can't blame a girl for trying," Nanako winked at him.

Wil just smiled and continued to the armory section of the room. In this section, there were rows and piles of FTG Kunai just waiting to be summoned into action. Some were actually owned by the Fourth Hokage which Wil obtained from Naruto upon completion of his own version of the Flying Thunder God Technique. Both the seals were the same, but Wil had dissected the Jutsu and was the first one since the Fourth Hokage to ever completely understand the technique and copy it perfectly. He grabbed his white pouch where he put his kunai and another blue pouch for the same thing. He snapped the white one on his backside and grabbed white tape to wrap his upper thigh before he strapped his blue pouch over it. He didn't want to take any risks, so he packed more kunai than usual, even though if he ever needed more he just needed to summon more, either with his scroll for a large quantity or a hand seal for one or two.

While Wil was packing up his weapons, Nanako was making his bed. She figured it was the least she could do since he let her sleep in it. She was confused on why Wil was getting ready so early; they weren't required to meet with the Hokage and Kakashi Sensei until dusk of that day.

"You know, we don't have to be anywhere until dusk, why are you packing so early?" She asked.

"I always do this before a mission," Was Wil's reply. "I make ready all the important things, like weapons inventory and clothes, and then I have the rest of the day to figure out if I forgot anything."

It was an effective method, Nanako thought to herself. She couldn't see any holes or weaknesses it might have, so she didn't argue. It was way better than her normal routine.

"Speaking of getting ready, shouldn't we get you home so you can prepare?" Wil asked.

Nanako had completely forgotten about that, she had also neglected to tell her father where she was going to be all night. A wave of terror washed over her, she suddenly didn't want to go back home. She did not want to confront her father, or mother, when they found out.

"Ummm, no, i-it's fine. We don't need to go back to my house, I'm ready enough as it is," She said, but it was the worst cover-up she had ever created. She was wearing pink, flannel pajama pants and a matching shirt that looked like it was a size too small, exposing her stomach.

Wil looked over, saw her attire, and then laughed. "Sure, if the world we are going to is populated by fluffy bunny rabbits."

Nanako exhaled in exasperation and knew that she would have to face her parents. "Fine, but can you go with me?" Her voice had a little bit too much desperation in it.

Wil feared the worst and hoped for a "yes" to the answer to his next question. "Please tell me you told your father that you were sleeping here?"

Her silence spoke for her.

"Nanako!" Wil proclaimed, now as frightened and anxious as her. "Naruto's going to kill me, then you! Or at least ground you for life."

"I know, I screwed up," She said and hung her head in defeat. Wil breathed slowly, working a plan of action for this.

"There is no other solution, but hope he doesn't care, or we somehow talk our way out of it," Wil told her.

"Oh, he's going to care, he would keep a shadow clone with me at all times just to make sure I don't get into trouble if he could," She said to Wil. She felt defeated more than ever now. "I'm so sorry, Wil."

Wil set down his pack of research scrolls and another travel pack that kept a compact tent and other, small survival things in it on the bed and held Nanako closely. His hands felt warm against her bare stomach and hips. She buried her head in his chest in despair.

"Don't be sorry, I'll come with you and help you work this out," He reassured her. She lifted her head and looked up at him with her giant, glistening blue eyes.

"Thank you," She said softly and kissed him on the cheek. She then started walking over to the staircase. "We'd best be off, with every minute that passes, my dad will grow more angry."

Wil followed her up the stairs, and through the house. Thankfully, his siblings were still getting ready, except Jake finally made it into the bathroom and was taking a shower while Ashley was busy fixing her hair or whatever it was she did in the morning. Wil never really paid attention much to their morning routines, but he always guessed that Ashley was very meticulous about it. They slipped out into the morning sunlight and began their short walk to the Hokage's house. He went through many different scenarios in his head about how this would go down. Maybe the Hokage didn't notice and all would be fine; Wil could only hope. He braced for the worst.

Wil's house was just a block down the street from where the Hokage's residence was, so in no time they arrived only to come face to face with what they dreaded to see this whole morning; Naruto Uzumaki standing in front of the gates with his arms crossed and a less than cordial look on his face.

"He's mad," Nanako said under her breath. "Follow my lead, I'll talk first."

Wil could at least breathe a little easier now, he didn't want to start talking right away, and in fact he was better off cowering behind Nanako. His palms began to sweat when he became nervous. The couple walked with their heads down to Naruto. They stopped a good yard out of arms reach from the Hokage and waiting for him to speak.

"No phone call. No note. Not even a simple word," Naruto began. His voice didn't sound too angry, yet. "Do you have any idea how much grief you put your mother and me in? Honestly, what was going through your mind during all this?"

"I'm sorry, daddy," She apologized. She sounded like a sad little girl when she talked. "I was just—"

"Just what? Playing hookie with your new boyfriend here? Wilhelm, I am also very disappointed in you. You know above all others that there are certain time limits on which you should be out."

"With all due respect, Hokage, Nanako was only late because she was helping me work on the Rasengan. You see, I overexerted myself last night and collapsed. If it wasn't for her, I would still be laying in the boulder fields."

This seemed to lighten the mood a little bit more, and Wil hoped that Nanako would catch on to what he was trying to say. He nudged her foot so she got the message.

"Yeah, I brought Wil back to Ashley and Jake and we nursed him back to health so we would be ready for our mission today," Nanako added.

Naruto grumbled. "And an important mission it is. So important that one should not overexert themselves before it."

"Sorry," Wil said softly.

"But it still does not excuse you, young lady. You still could have called or just came home. Ashley is a very accomplished medical ninja, Wil was in good hands," Naruto scolded.

"But—"

"I don't want to hear it. Now go get ready for the mission," He dismissed her. She solemnly walked past Naruto and up to the house.

Wil was about to leave, until Naruto said, "I haven't dismissed you yet."

Wil stopped abruptly and turned to look at Naruto. His face was still stern and his arms crossed, but he felt that the tension that had once been there was mostly gone.

"What do you need, my lord?" Wil asked respectfully.

"You know never to call me that," Naruto told him. "I am no more than shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village."

"A very important shinobi," Wil reminded him.

Naruto sighed. "Yes, maybe in the past, but my job is finished. I paved a road for the next generations, your generation, to carry on my Will of Fire."

There was that philosophy Naruto believed so much in. "The Will of Fire" is what gives Leaf shinobi the strength to protect their homeland and the people they care about. It was with this mindset that won the Shinobi Alliance the Fourth Great Ninja War.

Naruto came closer to Wil so that his next words were more private. "I am merely a guide for you now. It is your turn to take on the world and make it your own. I am asking you to do something very important for me."

"What would you have me do?" Wil asked. He had never seen this side of Naruto before, it was a more protective, philosophical side to his personality.

"I need you to protect my little girl in this new world," Naruto said as if it was of grave importance. "This new world you are traveling to be similar to his one, but in some cases more dangerous. Their technology is more advanced, and monsters hide in the most obvious, yet ingenious places. The warriors of this new world are very fierce and experienced."

"It sounds as if you've been there before," Wil said perceptively.

"Yes, years ago I was sent there by a different God, one who goes by the name Poseidon. He told me that later, this realm would be called upon again to aid them in a different evil. Now it seems that the time has come to send shinobi into the world of the Greeks and Romans once more. What say you, master Wil to this task?"

"I will protect Nanako to my dying breath," Wil vowed.

Naruto took in a deep breath of relaxation. "I'm glad you were chosen for this mission. There are truly greater forces at work here. You are now dismissed; prepare yourself, for at dusk your journey begins."

"Yes, sir!" Wil snapped to attention and saluted him before he teleported to a kunai back in his room.

Naruto took another deep breath, he had no idea it would be this hard to a father as well as the Hokage. He knew he could trust Wil with anyone, but he was more worried about Nanako. He wanted to know exactly what happened last night.

"Now this is a new side I haven't seen from you, knucklehead," Came an all too familiar voice from the streets.

Naruto turned around to see a very old friend. "Sasuke?"

"That was some speech you put on there," Sasuke started. "But are you sure that Wil can handle this?"

Sasuke Uchiha, the last remaining member of the Uchiha Clan and greatest friend of Naruto Uzumaki. The two have been friends ever since they were genin. At first glance, you would wonder why they would even stand being in the same room with each other, because they look like polar opposites. Where Naruto had bright blonde hair, Sasuke had jet black hair and matching eyes. Their chakras were different as well. Naruto's was warm and happy, while Sasuke's was full of malice and a hunger for power. Yet, they were brought together by their only similarity, to become stronger and their heritage. Now the two comrades stood there in the very streets of the Village they grew up in as friends.

"I believe in Wil, he reminds me of myself when I was his age," Naruto said with a slight smile. "You above all else should recognize true skill when you see it."

"That I do," Sasuke said in his monotone, dark tone. "I have no doubt either that Wil would come out of this alive, but given the job to protect your daughter. I couldn't even contain you, what makes you think that Wil could do the same to a child of the number one, hyperactive, knucklehead ninja?"

Naruto smiled at the comment. He looked to the horizon, at the sun shining with its everlasting light, giving life to everything under its gaze. "I don't know for sure, but something tells me that Wilhelm will become stronger than we ever were. I would trust him with my life."

Sasuke sighed. "You have always been a better judge of character than I have. I'll take your word for it, but onto the real reason why I'm here. I received a letter from Kakashi Sensei that you guys needed help with a special summoning Jutsu?"

"Yes, we need to send two others to the world of Witches and Wizards," Naruto said gravely.

"What have you been doing the past few years, my friend?" Sasuke asked curiously.

"I'll explain over breakfast," Naruto said and the two legendary comrades walked side by side into the Hokage's house.


	7. Chapter 7

When it came to packing for a mission, there was no one faster than Nanako. It was a very big switch, because according to Naruto, she is the slowest person to get ready for any other day; but when mission day came along Wil couldn't even keep up. She wore her signature orange and black track jacket that was always short on her so you could see her stomach even through the tails. It was also zipped down in the front a little too much showing off a little more cleavage than necessary, but she didn't mind. She never took into account what other people thought about she dressed. Her parents seemed fine with it, and Wil, being his usual self, always complimented her on the way she looked. She wore matching short shorts with some mesh extensions for protection of her legs. She smiled a little, she hadn't really thought of it until now, Wil's little acts of kindness. She never paid attention to them, but when Wil ever complimented her on something, like how she looked, or whenever she got something right whether it be in training or a mission, it always brightened her day a little. She felt respected and valued, like she was of importance in his eyes.

She quickly packed her essentials for the mission; kunai, shuriken, a few scrolls, a medical kit, camping gear, and other small things a girl would need traveling to another world. She was packed and suited up in a matter of minutes and was on her way down the stairs to the kitchen to fetch something to eat. She walked into the kitchen/dining room into a conversation with her father and another figure she hadn't seen in years. He was tall, pale complexion, and had long, jet-black hair with matching eyes. He wore white, regal robes, like he was a head of a clan. And in this case, he was.

"Umm, morning?" Nanako said as if she wasn't sure. The two turned to look at her and their serious faces melted into smiles.

"Morning, honey," Naruto said. He must have been over the whole incident they had earlier. "I'd like you to meet a very close friend of mine, Sasuke Uchiha."

"Nanako Uzumaki," The man began. "The last time I saw you, you were but an infant."

Out of customs, Nanako bowed respectively and said, "Good morning. Sorry if I do not remember your face, my apologies."

"It does not matter, the last time we met, you were barely walking. Your father has told me so much about you in the later years though. And might I say, I'm very impressed with your accomplishments."

Nanako blushed in embarrassment. She knew who Sasuke was and what he is known for. "Thank you, mister."

"Sasuke is here to help Kakashi Sensei and me with the Summoning Jutsu for your boyfriend's brother and sister," Naruto explained.

"He's not my boyfriend," Nanako argued softly.

"Ah, yes, young Wilhelm is it? He's a real find. Congratulations."

"Thank you," Nanako couldn't stop blushing and tried to hide it by busying herself by packing an extra bag full of food for the journey. She never knew if it was going to be a jungle world they were going to, or a super advanced society, so she prepared for the worst.

"Speaking of Wil," Sasuke began again only this time he was talking to Naruto. "What are his siblings like? I've heard rumors that they are quite the formidable tag team."

"Yes, they are very… special," Naruto started to describe them, but Nanako zoned them out as she munched on her cereal. She wanted to be out of the house and out with Wil as soon as possible.

"How are things in our neighboring countries?" Naruto finally asked. "How is Gaara keeping up?"

"All is well in the Land of Wind. Gaara and the council are actually beginning an excavation," Sasuke told him. "Apparently, a stone the size of a small house landed on the outskirts of the Sand Village. The collision was so strong it caused an earthquake, toppling some outer houses and complexes in the village…"

Their conversation droned on and on, and Nanako could see no ending. Gladly, she had finally filled her pack with enough, non-perishable food and was ready to go to Wil's house. She was stopped short though by her father.

"Nanako!" He called from the table.

"Yes, daddy?" She called back.

"Tell the triplets to be on top of the Hokage Monument at dusk," He instructed.

"Will do! See ya!" Nanako bid adieu and slammed the door behind her. She raced down the streets towards Wil's house.

Wil walked upstairs with all his acquired items, ready to go as he plopped his pack onto the kitchen table.

"No equipment on the table," Ashley absconded. Wil just sighed and hefted his pack off and moved it by the door. Ashley and Jake had finished pre-mission preparations a little before Wil and had already begun to prepare breakfast. Ashley wore her orange, sleeveless button up shirt that was always buttoned down a little too much for Wil's comfort. Under her arms was mesh, fishnet pieces of clothing. She had tight, black pants on with a belt with an orange spiral design on the buckle. Her headband was around her neck like a necklace and her scarlet red hair was tied back in a ponytail, reaching down to about her waist. Jake had his Jounin Flak Jacket and traditional shinobi apparel. His headband was tied on his left arm like a brace.

Wil sat down across the small, rectangular table from Jake, who was reading the morning papers. The table was set for four people, because usually Nanako joined them. "What's on the menu this morning, Ash?" Jake asked without taking his head up from the papers.

"Since we all have missions today, I've made something a little hardier to keep our strength up," She said joyfully.

Will sniffed the air and instantly fell in love. He could hear the satisfying sizzle and pop of bacon and sausage. He smelled their meaty aroma as well as freshly toasted toast and scrambled eggs. The table already had designated places where the food would go, as well as a variety of drinks to choose from. Wil always had a tall glass of Orange Juice, because he thought it was the perfect complement to Ashley's cooking.

"Whatever it is, it smells great," Wil stated. "It probably tastes twice as great."

"Why thank you," Ashley said happily. "It feels good to be appreciated."

"No problem," Wil replied. There was no lie in his words; Ashley's cooking was second to none, the best.

Suddenly, the front door burst open and inside walked in Nanako. In the house of Wil, Ashley, and Jake customs were not required unless an adult was around, so whenever it was just them, they came and went as they pleased.

"Morning!" She proclaimed with a wide smile. She put her pack right next to Wil's shut the door behind her.

"Morning!" The triplets greeted her in unison.

Ashley turned around from her stove and smiled. "Wow, I see someone's ready for the mission."

"Not quite, I had to come and see what the great Chef Ashley has prepared for the morning," She said.

"Well, you're in luck. The sausage and eggs are finally done with the bacon well on its way," Ashley told her but it was also meant for the boys. "Feel free to help yourself to some toast and any one of the drinks. We have more than enough of that."

"Thank you," Nanako said and slid into the chair next to Wil and kissed him softly on the cheek.

Jake saw this from behind his papers and raised an eyebrow in suspicion. Getting a little close, aren't we? He asked Wil telepathically.

Wil just stuck his tongue out at him then turned to Nanako. "You look great, Nanako."

Nanako instantly blushed and started to obsess over her appearance. "Really? I kinda just threw something together. I didn't even have time to do my hair."

"Relax, it looks wonderful," Wil told her and smiled.

"Oh, thanks," Nanako blushed. Wil slipped his hand in hers under the table so Jake and Ashley didn't see. When they held hands, they both felt comforted, but above all; safe.

"Breakfast is served," Ashley announced from the kitchen and skillfully brought three platters full of sausage, eggs, and bacon to the table.

"Thank you for the food!" Everyone said in unison to Ashley.

"Well don't just sit there, dig in!" Ashley didn't have to tell them twice. Within seconds, all their plates were filled with food.

They ate mostly in silence, until Jake asked, "Has anyone heard word from Kakashi Sensei?"

Wil shook his head, and so did Ashley. Nanako swallowed a piece of sausage and then spoke. "Yeah, dad told me that he was out preparing the grounds and gathering things for the summoning. Oh! I almost forgot to mention!" But before she finished what she was going to say, she took a big gulp of her orange juice.

"Well?" Jake asked impatiently.

"Sasuke Uchiha is in town,"

"The Sasuke Uchiha?" Jake asked excited.

"Yup! Apparently he was called by Kakashi Sensei to help with the Summoning Jutsu," Nanako explained.

"Are the stories true?" Ashley asked. "Does he look as powerful as the legends have said?"

"It's hard to say, because I was in a hurry to get here," Nanako told them. "but he was certainly interested in you three."

"Interested in us?" Ashley clarified. "Why would someone like Sasuke be interested in us?"

"I don't know," Nanako said in between bites of a combination of eggs and sausage. "Maybe he heard how strong you guys were and wanted to see it in person."

Wil, who was quiet this whole time, mostly focusing on his meal as well as to why Sasuke Uchiha, the only survivor of the Uchiha Clan and one of the great descendants of the Sage of Six Paths, would come back to the Village after being away on a diplomatic mission at this very time? He would ponder this for the next few minutes while listening to the others talk.

"I would love to spar against someone like him," Jake wished.

"You'd get butt kicked," Ashley told him coldly.

"Hey! I could hold my own," Jake snapped. Nanako and Ashley laughed and Wil smiled a little. It became quiet once again as everyone continued eating. The telepathic lines between Ashley, Wil, and Jake were also quiet, because their minds were set on their missions. The small talk they had was simply a stress-reliever to them. To Ashley, it felt good to laugh in the midst of the seriousness. Nanako was the only one who noticed Wil's silence, but decided not to point it out until they were alone. She had always wondered and often dreamed of taking a gander into Wil's mind. Whenever she was around him (which was a lot) his attention seemed to be split, as if he was thinking of something different than the situation at hand. It seemed to help in battle though, some of his attention would be focused on the now, but the rest would be focused on the after. Nanako had always thought that was his secret to being one step ahead of his opponents. Besides that, she was always curious of what goes on in his head, what makes him tick.

Wil finished his food first and went over to the sink to clean his dishes and put them back where they were pulled from. He grabbed his pack and started to head out the door, but before he did, he bent down and kissed Ashley on the cheek quickly. "Thanks for breakfast, sis."

I'll be on the bluff overlooking the flower meadows if you need me, He said telepathically to his siblings. He never knew why he told them where he was going because he could always reach them no matter what. The three had one special thing in common that outweighed all the other similarities: they all had rings, family heirlooms they called them, that are connected so wherever they are, each one knows where the others are. Wil took it one step further and implanted the Flying Thunder God Seal into Ashley and Jake's rings so he could reach them. The three rings also have another special power, they can transform into their weapons of choice. Wil had already used his, which transformed into a golden FTG Kunai. Jake's ring is similar to Wil's but is silver and turns into a different weapon more fit for his fighting style. Ashley's is more feminine with a slender shape with a single diamond inlayed on the top of the ring. With those rings, they have shown their mighty prowess in battle.

Wil finally turned to Nanako. "If you need me, you know where to find me," He winked and left the house.

"That kid," Ashley said with a gentle smile. "I wish I could know what really goes on in that head of his."

"Me, too, Ash," Jake agreed and stood up to put his dishes away.

Nanako just sat there, smiling. She had always wondered the same thing. He was her life's great mystery. Nanako and Ashley simultaneously gulped down the last of their orange juice and followed the same steps as the boys. After that, Nanako grabbed her packs and was about to head off when she was stopped short once again by Ashley.

"Hey, Nanako, where ya going?" Ashley asked.

"Oh, umm… nowhere," She tried to conceal her true location, but Ashley saw through her clever word choice.

Ashley smiled slyly. "Okay then, have fun. Make sure to give him an extra kiss for me."

"I don't think that will be a problem for them," Jake budded in. He had the same mischievous smile on his face. "They'll probably be kissing within the first five seconds they're together."

Ashley and Jake laughed while Nanako's face turned bright red. "Is it really that obvious?" She asked them.

Ashley saw Nanako's embarrassed body language and put an arm around her comfortingly. "Oh, honey we don't mean to tease. Even if it is obvious, you two make a great couple. Wil needs a strong girl to look out for him when he gets into trouble."

"He has you two for that," Nanako countered.

"Bah, we do that to an extent," Jake explained. "but we are only his brother and sister. There is only so much we can do to rein him in."

"Besides," Ashley added. "He's lucky to have you. Now, go get him."

"Thanks, you guys," Nanako was relieved to hear that they approved of her relationship with Wil. "Oh, I almost forgot, daddy said to be on top of the Hokage Monument at dusk. I'll see ya then!"

With that, she left and headed for the flower meadows.

Even though Wil had an FTG seal on top of the bluff, he decided to walk the distance. As he walked alone, he was accompanied by his everlasting companion, the sun. He never talked to it, nor did it speak, but the sun helps him in ways unimaginable. Even when it's not in the sky and night has fallen, he still senses its presence. In battle, the sun cloaks him in its powerful rays of golden light and gives his chakra strength, though it has one drawback: his powers fade when the sun goes down. This is Wil's fury and Wil's bane. Now, though he sits on top of a bluff overlooking a field of beautiful flowers basking in the suns prevailing gaze.

Wil pulled out his Space-Time Ninjutsu research and started looking over it. His portable portal barrier was close to being finished in the scrolls, but he had high expectations for the Jutsu and hoped he could master it to a point where he could use it at a moment's notice with his hands to teleport say, a lot of kunai coming straight at him that he can't dodge. Instead of using his chakra to blow them all away, which would be exhausting, or simply being more predictable and teleporting to a FTG Kunai in expense for his chakra; he could simply use a lesser amount of his chakra to absorb the kunai into a field that transported them to another dimension and dispense them out at the person who threw it. But that idea was a ways off. For now, he just focused on completing it on paper and copying to other scrolls.

Wil had always thought better outside and in the sun, or whenever no one was around him like in his bedroom. He was lucky to have both aspects as well as the pleasant scent of the flowers as an added bonus. He carefully wrote in the proper seal attributes crucial for the Jutsu's success. The text and symbols ironically made a sun pattern on the scroll with a blank circle in the center of it. He had finally written down the last bit of text and finished up the symbols when he sensed someone sneaking up on him. There was a slight breeze that went over the person and Wil, blowing their scent towards Wil. He detected the slight smell of citrus coming from the person, which could mean two things: it was an assassin with a lot of oranges in their pocket, or it was Nanako.

"Care to join me?" Wil asked politely.

"I didn't want to intrude, you looked deep in thought," Nanako said.

"Actually," Wil started as he rolled up the scroll and stuffed it in his pack. "I just finished." He turned around to see Nanako, slender and beautiful as ever.

"Oh, cool!" she said excitedly and walked over and sat on top of the bluff next to Wil. She took a deep breath in through her nose, smelling the nice aroma of the flower fields. She lay back a little on her hands and took in the sunlight.

Wil relaxed next to her. "I never get tired of this view," Wil told her. "I don't know what it is, but something about is so familiar."

"Don't you remember?" Nanako asked like Wil had forgotten a very important detail. "This was where we used to play and train as little kids. It was here where you got your only victory in a sparring match against me."

Wil smiled as the memories came flooding back to him. "Ah, yes. Those were the days. I remember how I won that match, too."

"It shouldn't even count," Nanako protested. "You blinded me with flower peddles."

He chuckled a little. "All is fair in love and war. And besides, you have gone undefeated ever since."

That was true; Wil had never won a sparring match against Nanako after that day. Now though, it seems to her that he's letting her win. She didn't let that bother her though, instead she held her head high and said, "That's right, and don't you forget it."

She scooted closer to Wil, a subtle movement. "Oh, I won't. I would like to see anyone else try and spar against you."

Wil moved towards her and met halfway. She rested her head against his shoulder and gazed at the scenery. The rolling hills of the iridescent flowers flowing gently in the morning breeze made the scene all that more tranquil. On Wil and Nanako's days off, they almost always met on top of the bluff and just talked. The topic of conversation was very sporadic; they could go from talking about prior missions to hairstyles in the blink of an eye. Wil then suddenly fell backwards onto his back and dragged Nanako down with him. She let out a surprised scream which then turned into laughter. She nestled up close to Wil and laid her head on his shoulder and arm that was trapped under her. Wil rested his head on hers and lay there on the slanted slope of the bluff. There was silence as they both enjoyed the others company. It wasn't until about a minute later that Nanako broke the silence.

"Hey, Wil," she started. "Have you had any other visions of this new world? I mean, it's a completely new environment. It's not like going to the Sand Village for the Chunin exams or other missions."

Wil had to think about this a bit. She had a point, this new world would be different, but from what he has seen through visions he received from his kunai it wasn't as different as she expects. He sensed that she might be scared.

"You're right," Wil began. "This world will be a whole new animal. Its inhabitants are armor clad warriors that fight the ferocity of a blood thirsty lion."

"Okay, not helping," Nanako said flatly.

"But in a way, this new world is similar to ours," Wil continued. "Days go by much like they do here. The warriors train and learn, the birds sing, the wind blows, and it's all the same."

"But you said there were monstrous creatures there as well," Nanako pointed out, clinging to him a little more.

"Oh, please, we've faced plenty scarier creatures than the ones from my vision, you have nothing to fear," Wil reassured her. "And besides, you are the Hokage's daughter. You are stronger than you may realize."

Nanako felt a little safer now, knowing that it wasn't all that bad. She also had one more thing that would help her keep out of danger. "Don't forget I have the Yellow Flash to protect me as well."

She smiled up at him and snuggled in closer. Wil smiled as well. "I guess I'll be there, too. I'm glad you're my partner for this mission."

"Me too," Nanako agreed. Wil's body was so warm, it was like she was snuggling her own ray of sunshine. She could lay there all day, comforted by his presence. She closed her eyes and listened carefully for Wil's heartbeat. A steady thumping noise came from his chest that soothed Nanako and it almost made her fall asleep, until something unexpected happened.

Climbing up the bluff behind them was Kakashi Sensei. "Well isn't this a touching sight; the Hokage's daughter cuddling up with the boy of legend."

Instantly, Wil and Nanako popped up and dusted themselves off acting like nothing happened. "W-we weren't cuddling," Nanako stammered.

"It's never a good thing to lie to your sensei," Kakashi told her.

"We were just enjoying the view," Wil tried to defend her.

"Really? I didn't know close, physical contact was required to look at a view," Kakashi pointed out.

"Wil was just trying to show me something," Nanako said quickly, but she knew it was useless.

"Relax, child," Kakashi eased. "I'm not here to criticize your relationship. I'm simply here to offer you some insight that will help you on your journey."

"Oh," Wil exhaled. He thought he was in trouble. "What do you have to say?"

"You will be transported to a camp in this new world," Kakashi started. "In ways, it's like an academy, but more dangerous and you don't graduate. Wil has already seen this in his visions, so this is more to your benefit, Nanako. In this camp, called Camp Half-Blood, there are many things you must be aware of; like the warriors who train there, their training in general, and especially their customs. It is imperative though, that you don't lose sight of your training or your own abilities. Those are what will save you."

"What are these warriors like?" Nanako asked.

"They are much like the Samurai of the North," Kakashi explained. "They wear cumbersome armor and prominently use broad swords, bows and arrows, or spears in combat. Don't be fooled by their sluggish look though, they are quite accustomed to their style and are masters. They are also very smart and strong in their own way."

"So are we," Wil pointed out.

"That may be true, but I don't want one of you coming home with only one half of the other," Kakashi said coldly. That put a damper on the conversation. "These warriors are the offspring of their world's gods and mortals."

"Demigods," Wil said. "Mortals with the power of a god."

Kakashi nodded. "Their reflexes are quick, their abilities enhanced. Most can use magic blessed by their godly parent to turn the tide of battle in an instant."

Nanako and Wil thought hard about this. Neither of them knew they were going to enter a world of demigods. Things were different now, instead of hiding their skill and powers they might have to show more of it to gain the upper hand and their trust.

"What must we do?" Wil asked.

"Unfortunately, that's all the information I have for you," Kakashi told them. "If you wish to hear anything more, you will have to talk to Naruto. He's been there before and has experience fighting against demigods like these."

"Where is my dad now?" Nanako asked. She was eager to learn more about their new friends or foes, depending on how it all played out.

"He is preparing the Summoning Technique with Sasuke at the moment, he also says to remind you that at dusk you will depart," Even though Kakashi only had one small portion of his face visible, his right eye, Wil and Nanako could tell that he was scared for the two of them.

"I will leave you now, there are a few more things I have to take care of until I see you guys off on your journey," Kakashi was always good at changing subjects and there was nothing more Wil and Nanako could do.

"We'll see you at dusk then," Wil said casually.

"Indeed we will," Kakashi agreed. He turned around and started walking down the bluff. After a couple feet, he looked back and smiled through his mask. "See ya."

Kakashi flickered out of existence and Wil and Nanako were alone again.

"Demigods," Wil exhaled and sat back down on the grass. "That should be fun."

"What are demigods anyways?" Nanako asked curiously and sat down next to him.

"According to some of the scrolls I've read, they are the offspring of a god and a mortal man or woman," Wil explained. "With the combined immortal and mortal blood, they inherit extraordinary abilities rarely ever possessed by mortals."

"Does that mean they are immortal?" She asked.

"Not exactly, they can still die, but the traits inherited by the godly parent speed up the healing process and, depending on the characteristics of the god, have amazing resistances towards things,"

"That means as well, depending on the god, they inherit different powers?" Nanako was picking up on this pretty quickly.

Wil was a little surprised at her deduction. "You're right, though I fear it's a little more complicated. But in a sense, if the god was like lord of the sea or something, the demigod offspring of him or her would have some control over water, but I doubt that it's like that."

"How would we fight against warriors like that?" Nanako had pondered that ever since they started talking about demigods.

"There is a very good chance that they don't know how to use chakra or have any idea what it is," Wil thought. "Our Jutsu will definitely prove useful, but as for hand to hand combat, it might be a little tougher."

"For you, anyways," Nanako jabbed at Wil playfully. "I think I'll be fine."

"Just because you can beat me in a simple spar doesn't mean you are capable of beating a demigod," Wil said with more seriousness than anticipated.

Nanako was taken aback at the tone of Wil's voice and the sudden outburst. He was really passionate about this mission, and to be honest, it scared her a little.

"Is something wrong, Wil?" She asked. A sudden outburst from him was so out of the ordinary, she knew something was wrong.

"It's nothing," Wil said standing up and looking away.

"Come on, I know you better than anybody, that means I know when something is bothering you," Nanako pressed. "Is it something my dad said this morning?"

"No, it's just…" He trailed off.

"It's just what?" She walked closer to him. Her tone became more irritated now, but she compressed her annoyed feelings for the time being. Instead, Nanako spoke with a caring tone saying, "You can tell me anything, you know that right?"

He turned around to look at her. "I know, and I wouldn't hesitate to tell you if something was wrong for a moment."

"Then what do you call this?" Nanako blurted out and right after the words left her mouth, she wished she could take them back.

Wil looked like he was being scolded and hung his head. Nanako instantly hated herself for lashing out at him like that. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

Wil put a hand up to stop her. "It's okay, there's no need for apologies."

"I just didn't mean to say such—"

"It's okay, Nanako," Wil told her. He looked at her with his brilliant blue eyes. She was on the verge of tearing up, she felt so bad. "I'm just anxious about this mission. We are going to have to face, and somehow befriend, a new species of warrior that we've never encountered before. To be honest, I'm scared as hell."

"So am I," Nanako confessed. She ran and buried her head in Wil's chest and started to sob. He comforted her by padding her head slightly and holding her. "I'm going to miss this place so much. Daddy said to me that we would be gone a long time, weeks or maybe months. Who knows what the time flow is there?"

Wil just let her vent her feelings out as she cried into him. In a way, she was speaking for both of them when she talked. Wil wasn't sure how long they would be gone, or even if they return at all. He had a lot of confidence in his Flying Thunder God Technique to transport him where he needed to go, but he had never tried between worlds like this.

"And what if you're Flying Thunder God Technique doesn't work? We could be stranded there forever!" Nanako sobbed again.

"Hey, now," Wil said softly. He touched her chin softly and lifted her head to his smile. "We will return, whether by FTG style or by the gods themselves. There is one thing we will leave behind though, and that is our fear and doubt. Do you remember what I said in the meadows all those years ago?"

How could Nanako forget, that was when she fell in love with him. She said through sobs, "Together, there is nothing we can't do."

"Right, we will always be together, no matter what," Wil told her and hooked his two fingers in hers. "I will always be there for you, like you will always be there for me."

Nanako wiped away the tears with her hand and tightened her grip on Wil's fingers. "I never want to leave your side."

"I will be here," Wil reassured her.

"I love you, Wil," Nanako finally said.

"I love you, too," Wil replied. Though they were never aware of it, a bond has been formed on that bluff, overlooking the meadows; a bond strengthened by love between two people and reinforced by the passion they share.

The rest of the day was a blur of preparation on all ends; Wil and Nanako shared what they packed, though he didn't tell her about his new Jutsu that was in development. Jake and Ashley gathered last minute information and packed for their own journey. Finally, Naruto, Kakashi Sensei, and Sasuke prepared the grounds above the Hokage Monument for the Summoning Jutsu. When dusk descended over the Leaf Village, all seven shinobi gathered atop the great mountain. Wil finally was able to see what Hokage and his accomplices prepared for Jake and Ashley. What he was faced with was nothing short of amazing. On a solid, tiled stage was the formula for the Reverse-Summoning Technique that was written in what looked like blood.

"The Formula is written in a rare ingredient, dragon blood," Kakashi said as if reading Wil's mind.

"How did you get such a thing?" Jake asked in awe.

"I know a guy," Kakashi winked.

Wil surveyed the other features. The formula was a circular pattern with a blank hole in the middle plenty big enough for two people to stand in it. Candles were lit and placed at certain junctions within the scriptures. Finally, outlining the whole circle were three wooden statues of dragons. It was a very impressive sight, especially considering they only had a day to prepare it.

"This is truly amazing," Ashley said as she slowly stepped into the circle. "Is all this really necessary to send two people to another world?"

"Every part is crucial to the transport, if something was missing, the aftereffects could be catastrophic," Kakashi Sensei told her.

"We should get started, the lunar eclipse is almost upon us," Sasuke said out from the shadows of one of the wooden dragons. Sure enough, he was right; Wil could feel the sun's power slip away until the next morning, hindering his own strength. It was Jake's time of night, but something different was in the air. In a Lunar Eclipse, the sun, Earth, and the moon are aligned perfectly so the sun seems to illuminate the moon with a mystic yellow or orange glow. Legend has it that during eclipses, the heavens grow closer to the mortal world and strange things can happen.

"Right," Naruto agreed. "Jake, Ashley, if you would please stand in the middle of the summoning circle."

"Take up your positions," Kakashi said to Sasuke and Naruto. Then he turned to Wil and Ashley.

"You might want to back up," He whispered to them. They did not hesitate to clear the premises.

Wil looked at his brother and sister one last time. He made eye contact with Jake, then Ashley. Jake gave him a strong salute and Ashley winked mischievously toward him.

"When you get to the other side, search for Dumbledore. He will help you on your journey," Naruto shouted to them. "I wish you the best of luck, and may the Will of Fire burn brightly in you both."

With those last words of wisdom, Kakashi Sensei, Naruto, and Sasuke started performing the hand seals for the Jutsu simultaneously. Instantly, beams of chakra shot to the left and right off of each of the ninja onto the dragons on each side of them. Sasuke's dark, purple chakra intermixed with Kakashi's lightning blue chakra on one dragon and with Naruto's bright yellow chakra on the other. The last one had Kakashi's and Naruto's chakra combined into it, and they kept pouring it in.

If you are ever in need of assistance, just call me, Wil said telepathically to them.

And if you ever need council, you know who to talk to, Jake said and pointed to his head.

Go kick some ass, guys, Wil said as a parting. After he said that, Sasuke, Kakashi, and Naruto held out their hands towards Jake and Ashley. The three dragons shot a triple blast of concentrated chakra straight at Wil's siblings and exploded in a spectacular light show and violent shockwave. Wil and Nanako were blown back a couple feet but never lost their footing as they shielded their eyes from the light.

When the shockwave passed and the lights went out, the circle was completely empty; not just void of life, but the formula and the candles were also gone. An eerie silence fell over the scene. Did it work? Wil wondered. There was only one way to find out.

Jake! Ashley! Are you alright? Wil shouted telepathically.

There was a long silence that almost made Wil go insane, but then he heard Jake's voice in his head, We're fine. I'm glad to hear that telepathy works worlds away.

I guess there really is no distance that you can put between us where we can't reach each other, Ashley budded in.

Wil took a big sigh of relief to hear that they are still alive. Just be careful, don't die or anything.

Come on, Wil you know us better than that, Jake chided. But we best be off, this cave really stinks. We'll talk to you later.

"Are they alright?" Nanako asked. The question would have sounded Ludacris to anyone other than Wil, who actually knew.

"They're fine," Wil said with a smile. "They said they were in a cave."

"How do you know that?" Nanako asked, shocked.

"We're triplets, our bond stretches throughout the fabrics of space and time," Wil told her.

"Now it's your turn," Kakashi said turning around. Any normal shinobi who poured that much chakra into the Jutsu would have been unconscious from the serious lack, but Kakashi didn't even break a sweat. Naruto and Sasuke were the same way, unaffected from their use of chakra. Wil really wondered how powerful they actually were.

"I could teleport Nanako and I to our world without your help," Wil told them. "There's no use wasting your chakra for that."

"We're fine," Sasuke said confidently. "But what you do need is some information, a starting point."

"Wil, focus and concentrate on the general area your kunai is in," Naruto told him.

Wil closed his eyes and concentrated to where it was. Slowly, an image of an open, grassy plain came into his vision. To the right was a beach that opened up to a sea and the right was a forest with trails entering in it. There was no one around the kunai, but Wil thought the geography was familiar.

"The kunai was dropped in a field next to a forest and a beach," Wil told them. "It's actually pretty nice."

"Focus, what else do you see?" Kakashi asked.

Wil looked again, but nothing about the scene has changed. "Nothing has changed, but the place looks familiar. It's close to the Demigod camp."

"That's good, Hera did her job then," Naruto said.

"I guess it's our turn," Nanako said. Her voice was full of confidence and she showed no sign of falter. Wil slipped his hand in hers and held it firmly.

"We're ready," Wil told the three shinobi.

"Good," Kakashi said.

"When you get to the camp, look for a man by the name of Chiron," Naruto said. "Mention my name and he'll know what to do."

"Will do," Wil confirmed. He then turned to Nanako. "Shall we be off?"

"Let me do one last thing," she said and went over to her dad. She gave him a long hug before she returned to Wil's side.

"Stay safe," Naruto said with a sad smile. "Good luck."

"We'll be back before you know it," Nanako said confidently. She grabbed Wil's hand and said, "Whenever you're ready."

"I was born ready," Wil told her. With those last words, he turned and saluted the Hokage, Kakashi Sensei, and Sasuke Uchiha before he teleported to the Kunai worlds away.


	8. Chapter 8

Chiron was having a bad enough day out on patrol with the constant monster attacks and the thunderstorm; but when two unlikely characters dropped into his world he knew his day just hit an all-time low.

"Annabeth!" Chiron called on top of the western watchtower that was set up on the borders of Camp Half-Blood. In just a few minutes the sky that was once blue, was now covered in a grayish black cloak of storm clouds. Rain started pouring down soon after, drenching everything. Thunder boomed in the sky and flashes of lightning illuminated it. It would take more than a measly thunderstorm though to knock of Chiron the Centaur. A younger warrior jogged up to the white Centaur. She was about seventeen years old and wearing traditional Greek armor over her orange Camp Half-Blood shirt. She had a celestial bronze dagger strapped to her waist and a Yankee Baseball cap in her hands. She was blonde, but don't let that fool you, she's the brightest daughter of Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, Chiron has ever trained, and he's trained a lot.

"What news of the scouting group?" Chiron shouted over the wailing wind.

"It's as worse as I thought," Annabeth reported. "There are at least three dozen Laistrygonian Giants out there."

"The Camp has withstood worse," Chiron said confidently.

"Leading the group are two Minotaur," Annabeth added.

That brought Chiron's confidence down a little. This was going to be a real struggle on both ends, but he would have to make due. A plan quickly formed in his head and he snapped his head to Annabeth. "Tell Will Solace to position his archers along the borderline and to take a group of demigods into the forest for an ambush. The Hephaestus kids should be done with their traps and preparations, once they're done tell Clarisse to position her troops to meet the beasts head on. Where's Jason?"

Just like that, a boy flew down and landed next to Annabeth. He was considerably taller than her, but was also blonde. The only difference was that he was wearing a purple shirt underneath his armor. "You called?"

"Any luck with the storm spirits?" Chiron asked.

"No. It's strange, even though there is this huge storm, there aren't any in the area," Jason reported.

"Is your father doing this to us?" Chiron asked confused.

"No, but whatever this is, it's showing a power that I've never felt before," Jason looked worried.

"We've all battled through worse circumstances, and we've come out on top. This is no different. Have confidence my young warriors, because you will need it here in the next ensuing hours," Chiron proclaimed. "Now to your battle stations."

The two demigods ran off to join their fellow warriors on the battle grounds. Chiron looked out onto the potential battleground: a vast forest with large evergreen trees towering over all other living things. A disturbance rustled some trees in the distance and with a trained eye he could see the threat even through the thick canopy. A few trees tumbled down in the path of the monstrous creatures that were running through them. It had been years since Chiron had battled a Laistrygonian Giant before. He recalled them being about eight feet tall and having very short tempers as well as voracious appetites for flesh.

Jason flew down and joined the Apollo team waiting high in the trees with their trained bows ready to shoot down some Laistrygonian Giants. He landed next to their leader and fellow camp counselor Will Solace. "What does it look like?"

"We're definitely going to have our hands full," Will commented. He had an arrow cocked in his bow staring down the direction they were bound to appear.

"At least they are giants, they're a pretty big target," Jason reassured him.

"It's not the giants I'm worried about, it's their leaders," Will hinted towards the Minotaur.

"Don't worry about them, I'll take care of those," Jason told him. They both went silent when they heard a rumbling that came from the ground rather than the sky. Branches started to shake and rain droplets fell down on Will and Jason. That's when the strangest part happened. Will saw it first. Leaping through the trees with incredible speed and gracefulness were two people, a boy and a girl. They were coming on hot pursuit toward the camp.

"Do you think they are friendlies?" Jason asked.

"Only one way to find out," Will replied. He aimed his bow at the boy who was leaping from branch to branch. He focused on his pattern and notched back his arrow. "Got him."

The arrow sliced through the stormy air in a flash of bronze straight toward the boy's face. It was a perfect shot and should have hit the target, but in a blur of motion the boy's hand shot up and grabbed the arrow out of midair. In that split second, the wide-eyed Will Solace made eye contact with the steely eyed Wilhelm and knew he was in trouble.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Wil hated ambushes, but what he hated the most was ambushes within ambushes. He and Nanako teleported to the grassy plains with no problem at all. It was a nice day with the sun shining and slight salty breeze coming from the ocean. There were two cows grazing not too far from where the two shinobi warped to. That's when it all turned sour. Storm clouds began to roll in, but they weren't normal storm clouds. The wind picked up and rain began to pour down on them.

"Where did this storm come from?" Nanako yelled over the wind.

"I don't know, but it's not normal!" Wil replied. "It was definitely chakra created."

"Do you think it's a reaction from this world to us?" Nanako suggested.

"It could be, but right now we need to Camp Half-Blood," Wil looked around and was faced with a curious sight. "Do those cows look a little… curious to you?" He pointed to the two cow in the distance trotting over to them.

"How so?" But right after the words left Nanako's mouth, she got her answer. They started to transform right before her eyes. They both stood up on hind legs and morphed into a creature of monstrous proportions. It grew over ten feet tall with the face of a demented bull with big horns and everything, as well as the body of a giant and legs of a bull. It didn't stop there though, behind them the water from the ocean began to stir. Dozens of heads started popping out of the sea and kept growing until they were full bodies. Eight foot tall giants started running with the man-bulls right at them.

"Quick! Into the forest!" Wil didn't have to tell Nanako twice. Those man-bull things were freaking her out already. They both bolted through the forest, leaping from branch to branch as fast as they can. But the monsters were fast and were right behind them. There was the first ambush; the second ambush was coming soon enough.

"I'm sensing a bunch of other people in the area," Nanako told Wil.

"Could this be a _second_ ambush?" Wil asked through gritted teeth. Ambushes were the worst for him, especially in a new world where he had no idea where he was going.

"Maybe, keep your eyes peeled. There could be traps anywhere," Nanako said. And just like that, Wil got his first glimpse of the warriors. An arrow flew towards his face and would have impaled him if it wasn't for his instantaneous reflexes. He caught it in midflight and snapped it in his hands and searched for the one who shot it. It was a wide-eyed warrior hiding in the trees off to his right. His eyes told him all he needed to know.

"What was that?" Nanako shouted over to him.

"It was an accident," Wil explained. "The warriors aren't going to shoot us any longer. I have a feeling they were waiting for those things behind us."

"Well that's reassuring I guess," Nanako commented. "Wait, if there are warriors, does that mean we are getting closer to the Camp?"

Xxxxxxxx

"What do you mean two people?" Chiron asked confused.

"There are two people in the front of the pack, running away from the monsters," Jason explained. "Will tried to shoot one but he snatched the arrow out of the air like it was nothing. Are they good guys?"

"I don't know," Chiron trailed off.

"They had these weird headband things with a spiral leaf pattern on them," Jason added.

Chiron's eyes grew wide in astonishment. "It can't be…"

"Are they friendlies or not?" Jason was getting impatient.

"Let them pass, kill all the others," Chiron ordered.

"Yes, sir," Wit that Jason flew away with the wind.

"So they've come at last," Chiron said to himself.

Xxxxxxx

Wil had also sensed a large number of warriors, demigods, in the area as well. The strange thing though was that they weren't trying to stop them. The two ninja had put considerable distance between them and the monsters as they cleared the forest on top of a hill. They were met with a large, daunting line of armor-clad demigods armed with really large, pointy weapons. The rain pinged off of their armor as they stood at attention, waiting for something. One demigod stepped forward, a girl with blonde hair sticking out of her helmet.

"Who are you?" The girl asked. She looked about seventeen with really bulky armor and an orange t-shirt underneath it.

"We could ask you the same thing, demigod," Wil replied.

"How did you know –,"

She was cut off by a very strange man walking up behind her. He was half man, half white stallion: a Centaur. He had balding brown hair with a scraggly beard and bushy eyebrows. His eyes looked wise and old, but yet full of life. "It's okay, Annabeth. They are on our side."

"Are you sure? I've never seen them before in my life, and they know we're demigods," Annabeth protested.

"Yes, yes, I'll explain, right now we have a battle to prepare for," the Centaur dismissed her. With a huff, she reluctantly went back to the line of demigods behind the Centaur.

"Are you Chiron?" Nanako asked.

"That is my name. Why have you come here?" Chiron said.

"Naruto Uzumaki sent us," Wil replied to his question.

"So it is true then," Chiron said softly.

"He said you would know what to do, because frankly, we're pretty lost," Wil pleaded.

"That you are," Chiron told them. He stroked his beard and looked out in the forest. "I will explain everything to you both later, but right now, as you are probably aware, we are in the middle of something. We would be very grateful if you could help exterminate those monstrosities back there."

Wil and Nanako exchanged glances. She gave him a thumbs-up which made Wil smile slyly. He turned to Chiron and said, "It would be our genuine pleasure."

For once in this entire battle prelude, Annabeth saw Chiron smile; and when he smiled, she knew then and there that the Laistrygonian Giants were in deep trouble. This in turn gave her confidence and she turned to her fellow demigods from all the different cabins (except for the Aphrodite Cabin, who were cheering from inside the magical border under a large, pink umbrella).

"Demigods of Camp Half-Blood!" She shouted over the wind. A thunderous rumble came from within the forest. Deep inside, Will Solace's team of archers let loose a deadly volley of arrows cutting down the numbers of the giants down to size; but there were still too many left. Traps and explosions of Greek Fire, compliments of the Hephaestus Cabin, detonated and cut their numbers down even further. But the Minotaur was still leading the pack strong and angrier than ever. The two newcomers, the shorter boy with spiky blonde hair and the white coat with red flames wielded his golden, three-pronged knife ready. He didn't look like much, and neither did his companion, the taller blonde, double ponytail girl with the revealing orange and black outfit. She pulled out two other little knives from her back pocket and crouched in a fighting stance. The rumbling was closer now; the monsters were almost on top of them. "Send these monsters back to the depths of Tartarus!"

The demigod replied with a collective "WHOOOOAAAAAA" then the Laistrygonian Giants cleared the forest.

Xxxxxxx

Wil made the first move on the giants. His golden ring transformed into a golden Flying Thunder God kunai. He threw it with deadly accuracy at the first giant he saw. In mid-flight, the kunai glowed and burst into hundreds of other golden FTG Kunai that flew through the ranks of the giants, slaughtering them; but that's not what he was aiming for. Faster than a blink of an eye, Wil teleported to each and every one of the giants and cut them all down. Faster than a second later, Wil was standing in a field of fallen giants with large gashes all over them. Wil stood over the body heaps with a casual look. He held his original golden FTG kunai when it started to glow and the other strewn across the landscape turned into gold orbs of light and get sucked into the original.

"That wasn't so tough!" Wil shouted to the crowd on the hill above. Wil could see the faces of every demigod; their expressions were priceless. He could only imagine what they were thinking. Nanako was the only one who looked even remotely unimpressed. Then her expression changed to a look of horror.

"Wil look out!" she yelled down to him, but it was too late. Out from the forest the Minotaur burst forth with the rest of the giant army. Wil turned only to be head-butted by the lead Minotaur to the other side of the hillside.

Nanako's rage at the sight could hardly be contained by a mortal body, so she decided to divide it up. She let out a war cry and charged down the hill. The demigod forces followed with deafening war cries. She performed one hand seal that would almost double the demigods' numbers. "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Instantly, dozens of Nanako clones appeared and hit the giant army head on. Sword and kunai clashed with the hard fists of the giants. Nanako beat down a few giants, who smelled horribly of spoiled meat, that were in her way toward her real opponent: the Minotaur that hit Wil. She dashed right toward it. The Minotaur batted a few demigods out of the way and faced the charging Nanako. When she was within range, the man-beast swung a mighty arm, but Nanako slid under it and through its legs. She turned her body and slid to a stop facing the back of the beast. She threw a handful of shuriken at the back of the Minotaur. It let out a deafening bellow and swiped backwards in retaliation. He got lucky and connected with Nanako in the ribs. The blow sent her flying across the battlefield.

Nanako gathered herself in midair right before slamming into a giant. She twisted her body enough so that she kneed it in the jaw, sending it farther than she was hit. She slid across the grass a stop and glared back at the Minotaur. It was getting ready to charge once again, and she didn't think the sliding under the legs trick would work a second time. This time she would try something different. She willed one of her clones who were fighting nearby to fight alongside her. The man beast started to charge and the two Nanako's met it head on.

Whilst they were running, Nanako pulled out a thin, almost impossible to see, strand of string and tossed it to her clone. They ran shoulder to shoulder until they could practically feel the Minotaur's breath on their skin. The bull man swung its brawny arms out at both of the Nanako's, but they adeptly jumped over them and hooked the string around the beast's neck. Their momentum and strength was enough to bring down the massive Minotaur with a bone-crunching _thud!_ Finally, two other Nanako clones jumped high into the air and rained down shuriken and kunai that impaled them in the Minotaur. It bellowed in pain, and then was still.

Meanwhile, on another side of the battlefield, Annabeth was having a real tough time with the Laistrygonian Giants. Two of them decided to take a special interest in her.

"We will kill crazy demigod lady," They both said with their gruff, caveman-like voices.

"Come over here and try it," Annabeth taunted. She held out her only weapon in defense, her trusty bronze knife. They both grumbled and one lunged for her. It was a good thing they were cumbersome and slow, or she would have had a harder time. She sidestepped it, and slashed the giant's side. He grunted in annoyance and swung back in retaliation; but he managed to smack his partner in the face while he was reaching for her.

The two giants regained themselves and started to attack again, but were stopped short by a volley of arrows that came from her right. She looked over and saw Will Solace's team of hidden archers coming back onto the battlefield. She then surveyed the rest of the battle grounds. Every demigod was engaged in a battle against at least two Laistrygonian Giants. Unfortunately, the camp was hopelessly outnumbered. If it wasn't for those two mysterious travelers with their astonishing abilities, they probably would be retreating already. Everyone seemed to be holding their own as well. She even saw Leo Valdez in the fight flinging fire bolts at a group of Laistrygonian Giants. That's when she saw the other Minotaur and her heart sank; it was thrashing and tossing campers around like rag dolls. The clones that the girl made were dispersing in puffs of white smoke whenever they got hit by the Minotaur. She knew that if they stood a chance in winning, that they would have to take out that Minotaur.

Clarisse was out of options. The Minotaur was just too strong against any of their attacks. Arrows bounced off the monster's skin like they were nothing and it tossed around campers like they were weightless. She couldn't find an opening to attack either.

"Form a circle around the beast!" She ordered the rest of the Ares demigods. They packed tightly together with their shields up and slowly closed in on the creature. The Minotaur grunted and with one swift moves of its arm, it ripped open a gap in the circle, sending too many campers flying and sprawling.

That was Clarisse's chance; she made the daring attempt by trying to jump on the creature's back. She grabbed the hair on the beasts back for stability and started climbing up to its head. The beast roared in annoyance and thrashed even more to try and dislodge her; but she wouldn't budge. She reached its shoulders and hefted her spear high in the air, ready to strike at its neck. She let out a war cry, but before she could stab the Minotaur, its head lurched back and bonked heads with Clarisse. She was instantly knocked out by the blow and slumped off the monster's back. Before she hit the ground, the monster kicked her with its bull legs that sent her sliding away.

There was no stopping the last rampaging Minotaur. Ashley was preoccupied with a whole horde of Laistrygonian Giants, Jason had the same predicament, and everyone else was locked in their own little duels. The Minotaur stormed through the battlefield until it came upon an unlikely opponent: Piper McLean. It kicked her down onto the ground with a swift move of its little bull legs. She looked up in horror at the monster; the creature loomed over her like a malevolent mountain of rage and anger. It roared its deafening roar and held up its arms ready to bring them down hard on Piper. Jason saw this scene from far away, but was too late.

"PIPER!" He yelled to her, but there was no way he could help her now.

That's when the storm clouds parted in a swirl of wind and the sun shone through. Bolting down from the sky was a lone figure with a glowing yellow ball of energy in his hand. "RASENGAN!" the shape declared and impacted with the Minotaur. The force sent a powerful shockwave through the whole battlefield. The ball of energy tore through the Minotaur and crushed it in a swirling mass of pure power. A huge crater resulted in the attack with one dead Minotaur and a lone figure standing over it. The sunlight seemed to only shine on him as if it bended to his will. The boy's blonde hair glistened in the light and when he looked up, the powerful gaze of his eyes would make even the mighty Zeus hesitate. On his left hand lay a brilliant object: a solid gold ring that seemed to magnify the glow of the sun.

The storm began to disperse and all the battles around Wil started to die down as the legions of demigods inundated the strange giant creatures. He looked back down at the half-man, half-beast Minotaur. "Fucking man-beast," Wil spat on the beast's mutilated body. That's how he taught people not to mess with him. That's when a weird thing happened, the monster dissolved into sand and seeped in through the Earth (was this new planet called Earth?). He stood there puzzled for a moment, and then noticed something; where was Nanako? He looked up frantically, but was soon relieved to see how handedly she was ripping apart the last bit of giants. He ran over to her when she just impaled the last giant with a kunai and has it land in a heap of lifeless limbs. She stood up and pushed some hair out of her face and smiled at him.

"Did you really have to lead with that Jutsu?" Nanako chided.

"Hey, first impressions are essential when meeting new people," Wil replied with a wink.

"And what a first impression you made," Came a feminine voice from behind him. Wil turned around to come face to face with one of the Demigods. This girl was taller than Wil and looked pretty menacing with crimson armor and a big, red, Mohawk feather design on her helmet. This girl seemed cut, like more toned than Wil cut. Her short, blonde hair was barely noticeable under her obnoxious helmet. She was pointing a spear at Wil that was buzzing with electricity. Soon, other demigods with the same colored armor surrounded Wil and Nanako and pointed their really sharp weapons at them.

Nanako was shocked. "What's going on? Is this any way to treat the people who helped you win this battle?"

"Nanako," Wil shot her a look. He slowly turned back around and put his hands up slowly. "What is the need for all this hostility?"

"You two are obviously dangerous and still pose a threat to the campers," The girl said. She also eyed Wil's ring. "You are also in possession of some, interesting magical items. We will need to confiscate those and come with us."

That set Wil over the edge. He was trying to be reasonable, but if anyone and he means _anyone_, tries to steal his ring, well let's just say that they'll end up worse than the Minotaur. This time though, he pulled a classic Yellow Flash move: He used the body flicker technique to appear right behind the girl with the Mohawk helmet before anyone could comprehend what happened. The ring transformed in a blink of an eye to a golden FTG kunai again and he held it to the demigod's throat.

"If you dare try and take this from me, there will be hell to pay," Wil whispered in her ear.

The demigod was about to say something when another voice joined the party. "Now that's quite enough."

Wil turned his head to see that Chiron was galloping down the hill to meet the winning party. He sighed when he saw the scene with Wil. "Stand down, all of you."

Wil lowered his kunai and it transformed back into his ring and walked back to Nanako. The rest of the demigod lowered their weapons. "Clarisse, they just helped us defeat the Laistrygonian Giants, don't you think they're on our side?"

"Well, yeah, but the abilities they've performed were so out of this world," Clarisse countered.

"You're right," Chiron turned to Nanako and Wil. "They were out of this world, but then again I don't think they _are_ from this world."


	9. Chapter 9

"Great, now that everyone is here and in good health, we can begin," Chiron announced as he rolled up the group. Ever since the battle, everyone had been patched up. Thankfully, no one was buried, but there were some nasty looking injuries when Nanako helped some Demigods. Now, they were all sitting in a musty old cellar around two large playing tables where Chiron said they played a game on it called "Ping-Pong". Nanako and Wil were joined by many other demigods here at Camp Half-Blood. Chiron sat in a magical wheelchair that somehow hid his lower horse-half at the front of the tables. On each side were other campers, or Demigods that were apparently important enough to sit in on Nanako, Wil, and Chiron's discussion. Wil and Nanako both sat on the opposite end of Chiron, awkwardly as all eyes were on them.

"I don't mean to be rude, but why are they all here?" Wil asked. He surveyed the other four people in the room, evaluating them in his mind.

"These are some of the demigods who were chosen by prophecy to save our world," Chiron said. He didn't waste any time getting straight to the point.

"Really," Wil cocked an eyebrow and re-surveyed them.

Chiron gestured to the campers and they started to introduce themselves. The first one on Wil's left was a curly, golden blonde haired girl who was a few inches taller than Wil, standing about five foot nine inches. She was very fit, as was everyone around the tables of Ping-Pong. She had a natural tan and slate grey eyes that reflected high intensity, but seemed to be distracted by many other things.

"I'm Annabeth Chase, Counselor of the Athena Cabin," She introduced herself. "I would like to thank you for all that you've done to help us with our little…problem."

"No problem," Nanako replied with a smile.

The next camper across from Annabeth stood up and introduced himself. This one was about as tall as Wil, about five foot six inches with curly black hair, dark brown eyes, and pointy ears. He had a cheerful, babyish face with a mischievous look on it. His skin was slightly darker than Annabeth's.

"I'm Leo Valdez, but you can just call me your future boyfriend," He winked at Nanako, whose face flushed with embarrassment. Wil's fists clenched and he gritted his teeth trying to contain his anger, but Nanako put a hand on his leg, calming him.

"It's nice to meet you Leo," Nanako replied with a smile. "Are you a camp counselor?"

"That I am. You're looking at the esteemed Counselor of the Hephaestus Cabin," Leo smile maniacally.

"Sit down, Leo," The other girl at the table said. Leo reluctantly did and the other girl stood up. This girl had darker skin than even Leo with matching, choppy, uneven, brown hair. Some strands were braided and her eyes seemed to change color, going from brown to green to blue. Even though she was obviously trying to look it, she was very pretty.

"I'm Piper McLean, Counselor of the Aphrodite Cabin," she smiled at Wil almost thankfully. "Thank you so much for saving me from that Minotaur. I would have been dead meat if it wasn't for that... what did you do to it?"

"It's complicated," Wil explained. He knew that if he tried to explain it any farther, she would never understand it.

"Whatever you did, it was amazing," Piper said. It was Nanako's turn to get jealous. She tightened her grip on Wil's thigh that made him jump a little bit. He discreetly grabbed her hand and held it in his.

"Thanks, you have no idea how hard that was to perform," Wil told her with his stunning smile. A smile that in Nanako's eyes should only belong to her.

"You've showed us even more than that power, you both have," Said the final person at the table. Piper sat down and the last person stood up. This guy was taller than anyone at the table, besides Chiron, but seemed to be the youngest. He had features of a statue, ruggedly handsome, with electric blue eyes, short blonde hair, and a small scar on his lip. He also had a very muscular build to him. He was also the only one with a purple shirt on and a tattoo on his arm with a picture of an eagle and the letters "SPQR" along with twelve lines.

"I'm Jason Grace, Counselor and only member of the Zeus Cabin," He stuck his hand out to shake. Wil stood up to his full height, but he was still much shorter. Nevertheless, they shook hands. Wil was told by the Hokage one time that you could tell a lot about a person by how he or she shakes your hand. Jason's hand shake was nice and firm, suggesting to Wil that he was very confident and strong willed. He also looked into his eyes and saw a hint of competition. There was something special about Jason, Wil thought. He didn't know what it was quite yet, but he had a sudden urge to spar with him.

Jason sat down but Wil stayed standing up. "We haven't introduced ourselves, but we're getting there. Our names are also tied to why we're here. My name is Wilhelm and my partner here is Nanako Uzumaki. We are from a place worlds away from this one; in a ninja world where peace has prosperity has conquered the lands. In our world, great ninjas protect it and its people. Five great shinobi govern the ninja world, called Kage, and ours the Hokage is the most powerful."

"Can other ninja in your world do the things you guys can do? Like that 'Rasengan' thing, or split themselves into a hundred copies of themselves?" Annabeth asked.

"Yes," Nanako said. "Our power comes from the manipulation and concentration of chakra, but that is a conversation for another day."

"That sounds a little too good to be true," Leo added skeptically. "You're telling me that there is a whole planet full of super powered ninjas that run on this thing called chakra and can do all this fancy stuff like create clones of themselves."

"Leo was it?" Nanako asked. She found the perfect opportunity to put him in his place. "Well, Leo, what if I told you that we are capable of so much more than that? What if I told you that I know a guy who could crush your mind by simply looking at you? What if I told you that I knew a whole clan that could invade your mind and take control of your body, or expand their bodies to that ten times that of those giant things? Ninja from our world have powers that you would not believe, and would blow you away."

Leo's face turned white after Nanako's little harangue. Wil found himself the only one smiling after her speech. Everyone was speechless, and in Leo's case, left with the pallor of a ghost. "That's enough, Nanako. We don't want to scar him for life. We haven't even told them about the prophecy yet."

"Prophecy?" Jason asked curiously.

"Yes, there is a prophecy that even supersedes the Prophecy of Seven," Chiron explained. He had been quiet this whole time, patiently waiting for Nanako and Wil to explain about their history. "This one tells about how the universe was created, and how an evil much greater than anything we've ever faced has endured. I think Wil knows a bit more than I do."

Wil took that as his clue to start explaining. "Before we arrived here, we were contacted by one of your gods, Hera."

The mention of Hera wasn't entirely good for the conversation. Nanako could sense the anger that sparked when Hera was mention. Jason grumbled and Annabeth slammed the table with her fist.

"I'm sensing Hera isn't well liked?" Nanako asked Chiron.

"As of late, she hasn't been the friendliest god," Chiron tiptoed past that question, keeping a watchful eye on Annabeth.

"Friendliest? She could rot in Tartarus for all I care," Annabeth cursed.

"Annabeth," Chiron raised his voice, as if scolding her. "Hera is the Queen of Olympus, a goddess, and you will treat her as such. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Chiron," Annabeth mumbled. She kept her gaze at the ground.

"Please continue, Wil," Chiron said.

"Anyways, Hera told us of a prophecy that tells the fate of three worlds: the Ninja World, this world, and another. I don't quite remember the words correctly though…"

"Don't worry, I got this," Nanako tapped him on the shoulder.

Wil sat down reluctantly and listened to her speak. Nanako looked at everyone individually and cleared her throat. "In the beginning the universe was merely a void of nothingness, a blank slate, until one day a group of four immensely powerful beings came into existence. They were called the Celestials their powers were so immense that they could control these things called the Threads of Time and the Gears of Space. They created what we know now today, the galaxies, the planets, the start, etc. But controlling those Threads and Gears comes at a great price."

"The Celestial's powers were drained until they were but a fraction of what they once were," Wil continued when Nanako hesitated. "Out of desperation, the Celestials used the last of their remaining power to create three worlds to house themselves in until one day they would regain their former strength and exact vengeance on the things that put them in their debilitated state."

There was a long silence as Wil and Nanako waited for the information to sink in. Wil and Nanako could relate to what they are probably thinking right now. It was hard to believe the first time that there were three other worlds that house these super-powerful beings that are just waiting to spring out of their really long hibernation and tear apart the planet.

Jason was the first one to speak. "Do you think Gaea has anything to do with this?"

"Who's Gaea?" Wil asked.

"Gaea is a very powerful and ancient force," Chiron said. "And this has every bit to do with her."

"So you're saying that Mother Earth is part of this group of Celestials?" Piper tried to clear it up.

"Exactly," Chiron said. "But she isn't the only one to be harbored on this planet."

"What?" Nanako was confused now more than ever. "There are _two_ Celestials on this world?"

"Yes," Chiron said with a grave tone. He raised an eyebrow to Wil, whose head was down the whole time.

Nanako turned to him, furious. "You knew there would be two of those damn things here, didn't you?"

"I wasn't sure until Chiron said there were," Wil met her gaze. "Think about it, Hera said there were four Celestials in the beginning and they created three worlds. One planet had to have two of them. We just happened to pick the wrong mission."

Wil put his head back down, thinking. He gave out a quiet sigh of relief as well. He knew when the moment he heard the prophecy from Hera back on his world, that both Nanako and him would be assigned the world with two, or Jake and Ashley would. He was relieved for the fact that his brother and sister were a little safer from harm.

The demigod weren't responding too well to this either. Annabeth looked up in horror and anger, a bad mixture. "Are you saying that we have to fight not only Gaea but also this second evil?"

"Well, not exactly," Chiron said. He sensed the confusion stockpiling in the room and explained. "Ever since your father – he looks at Nanako – first traveled here, I've been searching for the Celestials housed in this planet. The first one I knew would be Gaea, the mother to all the gods and Titans. The next one was tougher, but as it turns out, it even more obvious than Gaea. Think about it, if there is a mother, then there is always a father in the picture."

"Tartarus," Annabeth told them. "He was Gaea's husband and father to the Titans, who were the ancestors of the gods. If he's our enemy as well, then our percent for victory is very minimal."

"I wouldn't say that," Chiron countered her. "Tartarus is but a shell of what he once was. Gaea and Tartarus, comparatively, had more power left than the other Celestials. So, when they trapped themselves here, they used the last of their power to give birth to the Titans who ruled the earth. Gaea was greatly weakened after her pregnancy and became very desperate. She stole the last remaining energy from Tartarus so she could stay alive. Tartarus became a skeleton, but his soul lingered in his body, becoming an emotionless mass of malevolence. His thoughts of evil are what triggers monsters to be born."

Leo let out a sigh of relief. "So we don't have to worry about him being a part of this?"

"Tartarus will never again gain strength, but he continues to revive and make monsters, which are now escaping from his skeletal prison. He might not be a problem anymore, but his influence may be more powerful than that of Gaea."

"Well, that's good to hear," Nanako reassured. "Now, who the hell is this Gaea lady? And what's your problem with her?"

Everyone sighed a little. They all were obviously tired of all the information, the battle they just fought, and basically everything that has happened. Chiron said this first and spoke up, "I know you and Wil have many questions that need answers, as do we, but right now the best thing we all need is rest. There are still many campers that need to be treated and a camp to run."

Piper looked down at her little leather watch on her wrist and said, "It's almost 6 o' clock, almost time for supper."

"Perfect timing," Chiron said with a smile. "Nanako Uzumaki and Wilhelm, we would be honored to have you join us for dinner."

Nanako and Wil exchanged glances. Suddenly, Wil's stomach growled. Nanako giggled and said, "The honor is all ours."

"Brilliant," Chiron leaned back in his wheelchair, satisfied. He stroked his beard as if thinking of something, then sat forward again. "Good, I will all meet you at the Mess Hall for dinner at six. Please show our honored guests the way to the mess hall. Who knows? You six might have some things in common."

"Yes, Chiron," All the demigods said in unison. He then rolled out of the room into a conveniently placed elevator on the back wall. Now it was just the ninja and the demigods. There was a long, awkward silence until who other than Leo broke it by standing up and stretching with a long, obnoxious yawn.

"Well! I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving," He exhaled. "I don't know what you guys eat in your world, but what we got at Camp Half-Blood is a dream."

"I'll take your word for it," Wil said, standing up as well. "Where is the Mess Hall?"

"On the complete other side of the Camp," Annabeth said flatly. "If it was up to me to rebuild this thing, I wouldn't have put it so far away."

"Well, we shouldn't waste any time then," Piper interjected. "We got ten minutes to get there."

"Plenty of time! Let's go, Pipes," Jason said. He smiled at her and put his arm around her. Wil's suspicions were confirmed, they were definitely in a relationship. Jason and Piper both exited up the stairs next to the elevator and Leo then Annabeth followed. Wil and Nanako brought up the rear, hand in hand as they walked through up from the musty old basement through the rest of the complex. They walked through a hallway with baby blue walls, portraits decorating them of past demigods. The wood flooring creaked with every step. The hallway gave way to a large, carpeted living room. Couches and recliners were set up around a large, what looked like bear fur rug. There was a giant fireplace in the wall as well and an animal head above it. They walked out the front door onto a porch that circled the whole, baby blue house complex.

"If you didn't know by now, the place we were just in is called the Big House," Annabeth told the ninja.

"Well that explains it," Nanako mumbled. Wil and she stepped out into the late afternoon sunshine.

This was the second time Wil had felt this world's sunshine. The first time was when he was hurdling down toward a giant Minotaur. While he was in the sun, he felt its cosmic energy super charging himself and his chakra. His chakra turned a brilliant white-yellow in its noon light and he hit the Minotaur with the full force of his Rasengan. Now, it was the late afternoon, dusk time almost. He knew his chakra would be more of a golden color, almost orange if he tried anything. Now though, he was fine with just holding hands with Nanako as they followed a group of demigods to their mess hall for dinner.

In the waning, orange-yellow sunlight, the demigod camp dubbed Camp Half-Blood lay out before Wil and Nanako. They both took in a deep, impressed breath as they looked out upon the valley in which the camp called its home. Complexes and buildings where the demigods practiced their skills were strewn across the valley's plain. A pathway divided the camp and encircled a lake in the center of the camp. The pathway ended at the far off beaches of a nameless sea. The buildings and activities centers were very diverse as well.

Wil had already seen most of the camp through a bird's eye view, but to Nanako it was like stepping into a whole new world. While they walked down the main path, there were so many new sights to take in. The first thing they saw was a temple-shaped gazebo where some demigods were just wrapping works of arts and crafts. By arts and crafts, they were actually prettying up their weapons and armor. One girl had just got done dying her blade pink. Another had just painted every single arrow head in her quiver the colors of the rainbow. Beyond the Arts and Crafts Temple was a lonesome pine tree draped with a golden cloth. A large, green dragon lay curled up around the tree's trunk. Nanako was a little alarmed at the sight and tugged at Wil's sleeve so he could see. He looked and smiled, putting his arm around her waist.

"Don't worry, I noticed that earlier. If he was hostile, he would have attacked us by now," He smiled his reassuring smile and she knew it was alright.

"If you say so," she replied and kissed him on the cheek. He blushed and they went back to holding hands.

Annabeth, who was walking just in front of the two new ninjas, saw the whole thing. She had suspected that there was something going on between the two, but now her suspicions were confirmed. They were major lovebirds. When she first laid eyes on them, she almost thought they were brother and sister because they looked so much alike. Now, seeing them so happy to be in each other's company made her long for her boyfriend; but he was supposedly across the country. She hadn't seen him for over six months and it made her own blonde hair want to turn grey or fall off completely. She couldn't spend much time on menial tasks like going to dinner with two new people from a whole different world. She needed to figure out where _he_ was. She missed him terribly.

"Percy…" Annabeth mumbled ahead of Wil and Nanako.

"What was that?" Wil asked, overhearing her subconscious mumbling.

"What? Oh, nothing, I'm just thinking, that's all," Annabeth quickly recovered and walked a little faster.

Wil raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything else. Something had troubled him when he first saw Annabeth. That's when he put two and two together. She was the blonde girl from dreams and his vision of Capture the Flag. She must know about the mysterious boy in his dreams, the boy of the sea. He was about to ask until they finally came upon the mess hall. The mess hall where they were going to eat was a large, structure with white marble columns surrounding the perimeter of the building, holding up the roof. Within the columned borders was a grid of wooden park tables and benches. Many demigods were already there, chowing down on plates upon plates of the oddest foods Wil and Nanako have ever seen.

"Welcome to the Mess Hall!" Leo announced with enthusiasm. "Where you will find the finest in magical plate technology ever!"

"What does he mean?" Nanako whispered to Piper.

"Oh, you'll find out, it's actually really neat," Piper winked and walked with Jason to a secluded section of nicer looking tables. Nanako surveyed the whole lunch room. All the demigods were laughing, eating, and having a good time while spending time with each other. In the very back of the tables, was a station where some straggling demigods filed in to receive their plates and dinner from a very hideous looking creature. The creature behind the lunch line was a combination of a hideous woman and a bird. She wasn't very easy on the eyes, thought Wil.

"I don't think I want to receive food from something like _that_," Wil told Nanako and pointed at the bird woman.

Nanako gasped a little and said, "Yeah, I think I've lost my appetite. Where are we gonna sit?"

Wil surveyed the floor once again. All the spots have been filled by demigods, which would be pretty awkward if they chose to sit next to one of them. Then Nanako pulled at his sleeve and pointed to a secluded section of nicer looking tables where barely anyone was sitting. Piper was also flagging them down to come and sit by them

They started to advance, weaving through the grid pattern of rowdy, demigod-filled tables. While they were walking, Nanako and Wil could feel multiple pairs of eyes staring in their direction. Nanako couldn't help but think that those eyes were fixated on certain parts of her body, but she learned not to care too much about that. Wil on the other hand, was getting some disapproving glances. He caught a larger, burly looking demigod staring at him like he was fresh meat. Other glances they received as they drew closer to the secluded part of the mess hall were fearful ones. No doubt that the lookers who had fear in their eyes saw what they were capable of on the battlefield.

They finally arrived at the section and slipped in the table next to Leo (Wil went first so Leo didn't get too creeped out by Nanako who genuinely scared him). All of the people at the table had empty plates in front of them.

"Where's your food?" Piper asked Wil and Nanako.

"We aren't that hungry and we noticed that your bird ladies aren't handing out any," Nanako replied.

Piper just chuckled. "Watch this," she said and touched her plate. Instantly, a sandwich of sorts appeared out of thin air. Wil's jaw dropped.

"How in the world did you do that?" He asked, amazed.

"These plates are enchanted so that when you come into contact with it and think of the food you want, it will conjure it up for you," Piper explained.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Leo said while biting into a cheeseburger.

"I'll say," Nanako agreed with a smile. "I think I'm going to go get one. Wil, do you want one?"

"Since you're offering," he said.

"Perfect, I'll be right back," with that, she gave him a kiss on the cheek and left.

Instantly, everyone leaned in intuitively and had a sly smile on their face. Wil blushed and said, "What?"

"Well?" Jason asked and gestured with a nod at his head toward Nanako walking away with her seductive stride.

"Well, what?" Wil was really uncomfortable.

"Oh, come on," Piper said. "You know what we're talking about."

"It's not what you think," Wil defended, though it was exactly what they thought.

"Oh, sure, because everyone walks around holding hands with _friends_ and kisses them on the cheek whenever they leave their side," Leo said sarcastically.

"We've only been going out for a little bit," Wil mumbled.

"It seems longer than that," Piper said. "I bet you two were _great_ friends before you actually started."

"I'm telling you, it's not like that!" Wil proclaimed.

"It's not like what?" came Nanako's voice. She had her hands on her hips and a plate in each.

"N-nothing," Wil stuttered.

"Sure it is," Leo sarcastically commented again.

"Nanako," Piper said. "Wil won't tell us, but how long have you two been a thing?"

"Oh, well," Nanako started as she sat down next to Wil. He thought she was going to wind up and punch him in the arm, but she did the exact opposite. "We only just started _officially_ dating since a couple days ago, but I think we can both say it's been a lot longer than that."

After that, she kissed him again. Wil's face was as red as a tomato now and he found that he could meet anyone's gaze.

The whole table chuckled and went back to eating. Wil and Nanako tried out their plates and instantly their favorite type of ramen appeared. They instantly started eating, completely unaware of anything else. The ramen was just like Ichiraku's, same consistency and texture, and flat-out deliciousness. They even had chopsticks to go with it, instead of the other, metal utensils the demigods used. Whilst they were eating, Wil couldn't help that they were being watched; not by the demigod out in the main area, but more in the private section. He stole a glance over his right shoulder and saw that there were four demigods sitting at the table to the right of his. He caught eye contact of all four of them. The first two looked like twins, they had the same mop of curly brown hair that fell down to their blue eyes with a sarcastic smile and gleam in their eyes. Their upturned eyebrows were also an indication that they might be tricksters of some sort.

The third Wil recognized from back in the forest when Nanako and he were running from the horde of giants. He was the one who tried to shoot him with the arrow, the really tan, surfer demigod with adequate aim. The fourth person was a girl and he vaguely remembered her as well. She was the one who tried to capture him and Nanako after the battle was over. Now that her bulky armor was off, he could take a better look at her. She was a bigger, taller girl with stringy, dirty blonde hair. She had pig-like brown eyes with a strong, adamant gleam in them. She was considerable more built than any girl Wil had ever seen. She definitely _looked_ stronger than everyone in the section.

They all had really condescending looks aimed at Wil and Nanako, but neither of them really cared all that much, they were starving. Wil would deal with the haters later. He finished his ramen by tilting the bowl really far and drinking the broth dry. He set the bowl down and broke his chopsticks with a flick of his fingers and set them in the bowl. He sighed with satisfaction, as did Nanako.

"I guess you guys were hungry," Annabeth said. "You both finished that in less than five minutes."

"Really?" Nanako looked down at her wrist to see the time, but didn't have a wristwatch on in the first place. "Huh, how about that?"

Wil leaned in a little closer to Jason. "Those four over there, have done nothing but stare at me and Nanako the whole time. What's their deal?"

Jason looked over and quickly looked back. "Those guys are other counselors of different cabins. The twins are from the Hermes Cabin. Trixters and thieves, be careful of your valuables when they're around. The girl is Clarisse, head of the Ares Cabin. He's the god of war, so you could guess what she's all about by just looking at her. The fourth is Will Solace, senior counselor of the Apollo Cabin. He's a great archer, one who you've had the misfortune of crossing paths with."

Wil remembered the arrow that would have impaled itself in his head if it wasn't for his instantaneous reflexes. "He is a pretty good shot."

"Apparently not for you though. You're something else," Jason praised him. "If Hera is right, we could really use you and your girlfriend over there in the fight against Gaea."

"It would be an honor to fight alongside you guys," Wil told him.

"The honor will be all ours," Piper chimed in. "But there are still some questions that need answering, on both ends."

"What do you mean?" Nanako asked.

"Well, there's the whole thing with this new prophecy and all. Plus, you don't know much about our world, like our history and stuff," Piper said.

"And we don't know anything about you guys," Leo said. "If you guys are really staying here, we should really get to know each other better."

"Speaking of staying here," Chiron's voice entered the conversation from behind Wil and Nanako. Everyone turned to see the tall, bearded Centaur towering over them with a fatherly smile. "After dinner, allow me to show you to the Cabins."

"Awesome," Nanako and Wil replied in unison. Nanako was surprised, and almost scared, that they were so quickly adopted into the demigod's camp. It was almost as if they dealt with interstellar beings on a daily basis. She couldn't help but feel a little skeptical about everything, though. Some of their hospitality was a little too good to be true. One instance was with Piper; each time she talked, her words sounded and felt tainted with a special power. When she gave a simple order to someone, like to Leo to tie his shoes or something, knowing him he would probably rebel against her words; but without a fuss he bent down and did it. Charmed was a good word to describe her words. She wondered if that was ability she inherited from her godly parent. That got her thinking about the other gods these demigods come from. Her thoughts kept piling up on top of one another, threatening to storm inside her mind. She quickly had to find something to occupy her and tell herself that her answers would be found in time.

Her distraction came in the form of Wil, who was having a discussion with Jason and Leo about the previous battle.

"So what exactly were those things we fought?" Wil asked. Nanako's hand slipped into his surprisingly. He glanced over and saw that she had a mesmerized look in her eyes, like a thousand questions were circling in her head. He just smiled his signature care-free smile and went back to his conversation.

"I think they were called Laistrygonian Giants," Jason thought.

"Those guys? They were more like "Lose-styrgonian" giants, because we whipped them so bad," Leo added.

"If I remember right, you were running with your tail between your legs at the first sight of those Minotaur," Piper chided.

"_Those_ guys were scary. With their big horns, their gnarly breath, and not to mention they slobbered everywhere," Leo rambled on.

"_That's_ what you were worried about?" Wil asked through a laugh. "I was more worried about the giant arms and hooves flying at my face."

"Hey, you barely even fought that one. It just flung you across the battlefield like a ragdoll," Nanako corrected him and everyone laughed.

"How many Giants did you take down, huh? And how long did it take you?" Wil fired back.

The whole table laughed again. Nanako squeezed Wil's hand a little harder and he yelped.

"That's not fair," She pouted.

"She has a point," Annabeth joined in. "I didn't think it was humanly possible to take out an entire legion of Laistrygonian Giants in the blink of an eye."

"Truth be told, I didn't really come up with that Jutsu," Wil defended himself.

"Jutsu?" Piper asked quizzically. "Is that what you guys call your powers?"

"Kinda, it's a long story, I'll tell you about it later," Wil told him and stood up. He stretched and asked, "Where's Chiron?"

"He should be around here somewhere," Nanako said while standing up as well.

"I think he's outside, you should check there," Annabeth offered.

"Cool, thanks," Nanako replied.

"Good luck in your cabin choice, just hope you don't get stuck in the Hermes Cabin," Leo called to them while they walked away.

"What's wrong with the Hermes Cabin?" Nanako called back but her voice was drowned out by the noise of the cafeteria. Nanako gave up and started out of the demigod filled mess hall.

It was good to get a nose full of fresh air after withstanding the horrible, swirling, cloud of stench in the mess hall. Wil felt like he was trapped in a large, stinky, Rasengan. It was not trouble finding Chiron though; he was bending down and talking to some demigods who looked like they were all thirteen. Wil caught his eye and waved cordially and walked over just as the others left.

"Did you enjoy our little Greek feast?" Chiron asked half-sarcastically.

"It was definitely interesting, that's for sure," Nanako replied.

"The plates were really nifty though," Wil added.

"Well, good," Chiron resolved. "We never grow hungry here at Camp Half-Blood."

"You said something about finding us a Cabin?" Wil asked, longing to get on with the conversation.

"Yes, follow me," Chiron gestured and starting walking back to the camp.

The three walked south up a hill that overlooked a large section of the camp. It was a section of little buildings in a giant "U" shape with a large fire pit in the section. Nanako counted twenty in all.

"These are the Cabins," Chiron claimed. "This is where the demigods make their home. Come, let me take you on a tour."

He led them down the hill. Wil and Nanako marveled at the Cabins' architecture and style. What Nanako couldn't get over was how many there were. "Why are there so many?"

"Well, as you are aware, our planet is ruled by a polytheistic group of gods," Chiron explained. "Each God, with the exception of a few, have had affairs with mortals and gave birth to demigods. It is our job at Camp Half-Blood to find these gifted individuals and bring them here to train and hone their special abilities. The reason why we have so many Cabins is that reason: There is a wide variety of Demigods that come to this camp."

Chiron gestured to the first Cabin. This one had a domed marble building with heavy columns. It had a set of big bronze doors that were polished such a way that they could see a holographic lightning bolt streak across the surface. Thunder came out of the building every once in a while.

"For example: The first cabin is where the descendants of Zeus reside," He said.

"Zeus, Hera said something about him," Wil thought out loud, trying to remember.

"He is the King of Olympus and Lord of the Sky," Chiron stated.

"She did say something about a thundery temper," Nanako added. Suddenly, a large boom of thunder came from the Cabin.

"I wouldn't talk of ill of Zeus," Chiron whispered. "Moving on!"

He showed Nanako and Wil other Cabins dedicated to the demigods of other various gods. There was one to the left of the Zeus Cabin that was a low, open building facing the far ocean shore. It seemed to be made of a rough sea stone material with pieces of coral decorating the exterior. It had a seashell and a trident above its door.

Chiron caught Wil looking extra-long at that one. He didn't know, but there was something significant about that Cabin.

"That one, master Wil, is the Cabin of Poseidon, the god of the sea," Chiron told Wil.

"Fascinating," Wil said softly. He then turned to Chiron abruptly, having figured out something. "Do demigods of Poseidon have control over water?"

Chiron's eyes lit up. "Why, have you seen one?"

Wil averted his eyes to the ground, thinking. "No, it was something I saw in a dream once, that's all."

Chiron's suddenly excited look turned to disappointment. Nanako raised an eyebrow to both Wil and the Centaur. She was definitely missing something; an important piece to the puzzle. She made a mental note to figure out what piece she was missing before the got too confused.

"Hmm," Chiron stroked his beard. "Let's continue the tour then."

Chiron led them around the Campground, explaining which god belonged to which cabin. There was one cabin with a poor red paint-job with a giant boar head over the door and barbed wire on the roof. Chiron said that that was the demigods of the War God Ares's Cabin. Wil remembered the muscular, boisterous girl at the mess hall, Clarisse and how that cabin would fit her personality. There were a few other cabins that caught the ninjas' eyes. There was one completely covered with flowers, a gold-painted cabin that looked like it was glowing, one was also painted silver, and even one that looked like a small factory.

"They all have such different feels to them," Nanako mused. "But there's still one thing that's bugging me."

"What's that?" Wil asked.

"Where's the Hermes Cabin?"

"Did Leo tell you about that?" Chiron asked, not surprised.

"Yeah," Nanako blushed.

"Well, it's not the best kept Cabin in the Camp," Chiron said. He talked as if he was picking his words carefully. "Hermes is the Messenger of the Gods but that is also where the demigods that haven't been claimed by their godly parents go. So, at times it gets over crowded."

"But Hermes is the Messenger, shouldn't he be organized?" Wil asked.

"You'd like to think that, but he also the patron to thieves and god of Athletes," Chiron contradicted.

"Oh, okay," Now it made sense. "These Cabins are awesome and all, but which one do we get?"

Chiron smiled. "Since you have been patient and you aren't technically demigods, we'll put you in the Hera Cabin."

"Oh! Well that makes sense," Nanako said. "Which one is that?"

Chiron pointed to the right of the Zeus Cabin, where a more formal and elegant version of it stood. The columns were smaller and the door wasn't so big. Thunder didn't boom every so often in their either. "Since you only have one identity with one God and Hera doesn't have any Demigod children, it seemed like a perfect candidate. You will find that your things are already in the Cabin waiting for you."

"Thanks, Chiron," Wil and Nanako said in unison and ran off together to see what was going to be their new home for the next few days.


	10. Chapter 10

Wil reached the door first, no surprise, and kindly opened it for his lady friend. She smiled kindly and graciously stepped into the cabin. The first thing Nanako found out about the cabin was that it was freezing. The air around her was so cold that she could see her breath. The walls were carved with images of a stranger bird with large, colorful, hind feathers. In the center of the room was a statue of what was presumed to be Hera and a fire pit at the foot of it. She also saw that no beds were present in the cabin, but someone had already set up their sleeping bags along each side of the fire pit. Then Wil instantly bolted passed her and practically dove onto a particular bag by his side of the pit. He opened the bag and started pulling scroll after scroll from it. It seemed like an endless supply, but he finally pulled out the last one and sighed thankfully.

"What was that all about?" Nanako chuckled.

"I didn't want to lose my research," Wil told her.

"What research?"

"I've been reading into some more Space-Time Ninjutsu," Wil explained. "And I think I found a way to improve the Flying Thunder God technique."

"But wasn't it already perfected by the Fourth Hokage? And you duplicated it exactly, what else could you add to its power?" Nanako was confused at his little obsession. Though, it wasn't that little, it consumed his whole life for three months one time. She remembered that he refused to train or even eat; Wil just locked himself up in his room and never came out. At one point, Nanako put a special barrier on the door to his room so no one could disturb him. When he finally emerged from his fortress of solitude, he was paler than a ghost and as thin as a toothpick, but with the energy of a crazed wolf pack.

"Not quite. I think if the Fourth would have lived a little longer, he would have discovered so many more things than I ever could. He would have discovered more about the Rasengan as well as the FTG technique. They are both a work in progress," Wil packed up the scrolls carefully and put the bag out of sight. "But that is not the topic we are to discuss now. What we should discuss is what we've learned."

"Sure, but first, can we get a fire going or something? It's freezing in here," Nanako shivered.

"Of course," Wil smiled. In no time they had a fire going with a little stash of firewood they found in the back of the cabin. Wil and Nanako sat across from each other with the fire between them. The sun had gone down completely now, and the demigods were massing in the giant fire pit in the middle of the Cabins for what Wil guessed was a regular camp thing. He didn't care though, they were on a mission and they had to take it seriously.

"Okay, so what do we know about this place?" Wil asked the first question.

"Well, Camp Half-Blood is a special training camp for demigods to train and be safe from monsters," Nanako answered.

"Good, now let's focus on the demigods themselves, what are they?" Wil continued.

"Demigods are offspring of one mortal parent and one godly parent," Nanako explained.

"They can also possess inhuman powers as well, like enhanced battle combat skills, smarter than normal, and – "

"And can control water," Nanako interrupted, hinting about that confusing little conversation Wil and Chiron had about that.

Wil raised an eyebrow. "Yes, and that. Remind me, I have to tell you something about that later. Anyways, from what I've gathered, this world has a long history."

Nanako dropped the situation for now and continued on. "Yeah, apparently our target Gaea or whatever, gave birth to these things called Titans and Gods; but I've only heard things about the Gods."

"Could the Titans not exist anymore?" Wil asked.

"I don't think so," Wil raised an eyebrow again. He was testing Nanako to see how much information she could gather.

"Really? Explain then, please," Wil smiled.

"Well, think about it, super powerful offsprings like that couldn't just disappear. I bet there was a war between the Gods and the Titans," Nanako conjectured.

"Very interesting," Wil was thinking. "I sense that the Titans are still around, but have been conquered and imprisoned."

"And now the Gods rule over the world," Nanako summed up.

"For now. Their reign is being threatened by an old evil," Wil reminded her. "Gaea the Celestial, by the demigod's and Chiron's viewpoint, is not one to be trifled with. If she's anything like the Ten Tails, she's going to possess unworldly abilities."

"Yeah, let's deal with her when the time comes. I really don't want to think about her," Nanako cautioned.

"Good point," Wil stretched and yawned. "What time is it?"

"Do you want our time? Or their time?" Nanako asked sarcastically.

Wil scoffed and lay down on his sleeping bag. "What do you think of those four demigods we met?"

"Who, Piper and them?" Nanako asked, lying down on her own sleeping bag as well.

"Yeah, what are your thoughts on them?" Wil wondered.

"Well, Piper seems nice and very social able; but there's something about the way she talks that sets me on edge," Nanako remembered the persuasion in her voice that almost made her do anything Piper wanted.

"Yeah, I noticed that, too. Other than that, though, she seems harmless," Wil then remembered how pretty she was as well. He joked to himself, thinking that if she had a special demigod power it would be beauty. "What about Leo and Jason?"

"Leo's something else, completely ADHD," Nanako said with a hint of annoyance in her tone. "He's kinda obnoxious and he reeked badly of grease and machinery."

Wil laughed. "He's not that bad. I think he's just trying too hard to prove himself, that's all."

"Well I think he needs to tone it back a bit," Nanako mumbled.

"Jason, though, seems mysterious to me," Wil changed the subject.

"Yeah, me too," Nanako agreed. "Though I could sense a great deal of power in him."

"But yet he stays humble about it," Wil added. "That shows how honorable he is in battle. I think we'll get along just fine."

"Wil? Are you intimidated by him?" Nanako sat up and had a wry smile on her face.

Wil jolted up. "I am not! He's just taller than me, that's all."

Nanako laughed and lay back down. "Whatever floats your boat, shorty."

Wil became flustered. "Are you sure you're not intimidated by Piper? I mean, she's not necessarily ugly."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nanako was up again, her eyes flaring in the light of the fire.

"All I'm trying to say is how do you feel when there is competition?" Wil wasn't getting anywhere in this. He thought it would be funny to suggest Piper's and Nanako's similar beauty, but it only dug him into a large hole.

"Competition?" Nanako was standing up now with fists clenched.

"It was just a joke, Nanako. No need to get angry," Wil was inching away from her as she advanced. The flickering light of the fire cast eerie shadows on Nanako's face making her look even more menacing. "What I'm trying to say is that yes, she's beautiful."

"You're not doing yourself any favors," Nanako grumbled.

"BUT, you are even more. She is second-rate compared to you, and I would much prefer you over Piper any day," Beads of sweat rolled off of Wil's forehead as he waited for Nanako's reaction. There was a flicker of motion from Nanako and Wil closed his eyes, ready for the ensuing pain, but none came. Instead, when he opened his eyes he came face to face with a smiling Nanako. She was down on all fours leaning straight into him. Their eyes were on the same level as Wil's terrified face met Nanako's sly smiling one.

"Next time, just go out and say it," Nanako whispered.

Wil was speechless. He couldn't move his mouth, but thankfully he had help. Nanako then leaned in farther and kissed him. When they finished, Wil found his ability to speak again.

"Don't scare me like that," Nanako just laughed and curled up by him with her head in his lap.

"Don't be such a baby," She said with eyes closed. Silence fell over the two shinobi, as Nanako relaxed in the warmth of Wil's lap and Wil stroking her beautiful hair and comforting her. The only sound came from the crackling of the fire and the miscellaneous songs of the demigods outside. Nanako enjoyed the soothing silence for a little while longer, but her patience soon gave in and slowly sat back up.

"What's wrong?" Wil asked curiously.

"I think I've waited long enough. What was that whole conversation about with Chiron?" Nanako finally asked.

Wil slowly stood up and started pacing the room. He fidgeted with his ring behind his back while he walked back and forth, trying to put the last few weeks' dreams into words. "What I'm about to tell you is a little weird, but from what we've seen now and done, it shouldn't come across as such."

"Just tell me," Nanako was growing impatient.

"Through the past few weeks, my dreams have been plagued with these visions. It was of this kid, a demigod with an incredible influence over water, going on these crazy adventures. I didn't know what it meant until now, but now that we are on this mission, I can't help but feeling they're connected," Wil kept pacing, rotating his ring on his finger faster and faster the more he thought. "I haven't seen a kid who looked remotely like the one from my dreams, but I did recognize someone: Annabeth."

"Could she be connected to this kid?" Nanako asked. Wil could see through the fire that her eyes were fixed upon it as she thought. She also bit her lower lip whenever she thought hard, which Wil thought was really hot; but now was not the time for such obsessions.

"Probably, I saw her on most of the adventures. She was always helping him with whatever they were doing," Wil finally plopped down by the fire and sighed. "Nanako, this guy was good, and I mean really good. There was this one where he faced down a Titan of an opponent. Even though it was a dream I could feel the kid's power. He is on a completely different level from all the other demigods. The only one of them who could compete with him would be Jason. I just wished I knew his name!"

Wil clasped his head in frustration and collapsed, exasperated. "I hate not knowing things!"

Nanako couldn't help herself from laughing a little. Wil was always cute, but even more so when he was frustrated about these sort of things. "You'll figure it out, you always do."

"It's not just that," Wil sat back up. "I have this…feeling that he's somehow connected to this mission and defeating Gaea."

Nanako slid over to Wil and put her arms around him to comfort him. "You're stressed, I can tell. We have been through a lot today. I think the best thing we could do is sleep, and let the answers come tomorrow."

Wil sighed. "You're probably right."

"I know I am, now go to sleep. We'll figure this all out tomorrow. Piper and I were talking about a full, in depth tour of the camp," Nanako sounded excited, but Wil was more focused on his sleeping bag. He knew it wasn't much of a bed, but right now it looked like the most comfortable thing in the world.

"Sounds fun. I'll see ya in the morning, Nana," He kissed her and climbed into his sleeping bag. As soon as he was all nestled into it, sleep came immediately; but unfortunately so did the visions.

Waiting for the morning didn't go as planned for Wil. As sleep conquered his body, his mind continued to have visions. It was of the same mysterious kid, too. The setting was different this time, and Wil thought it was a little more recent because the kid looked older. He was in the middle of fighting on top of a huge glacier. A swirling vortex of ice cold water had encased the demigod as he was attacked by waves and waves of what looked like ghost-demigods wielding golden weapons. He was holding his own against such an endless enemy as water flung itself at groups of ghost-demigods propelling them backwards and the kid's bronze sword flashing and slashing out at any who came too close. It seemed as if he was doing really well, but the sheer number of the ghost-demigod soon overwhelmed him and drove him back to the glacier's edge. Over the edge was a straight drop to an icy sea far below.

To make things worse, his water vortex shield was waning. Soon, Wil could see a good picture of the kid. Not much had changed from the last time he saw him, except he looked older and the gray streak in his hair was gone. He also had a staff with a golden eagle on top of it in one hand. He looked worried as he knew he was going to be forced off the edge. His water vortex disappeared completely now and he tried more than ever with his bronze sword to keep the ghost-demigod at bay. He swung faster and stronger, but it only prolonged the inevitable.

The kid stepped wrong and was sent plummeting to the ice waters below. In Wil's dream, he felt like he was falling with him. The demigod clenched the golden eagle close as he braced for impact. He hit the water with a huge splash, but Wil was surprisingly above the water. The demigod didn't resurface for several seconds. Then there was a disturbance in the water a couple yards away. Suddenly, the demigod emerged from the waters, holding the eagle high. It seemed that he was controlling the current, making him speed along through the water. He didn't look wet either; there was only straight determination on his face. He sped to a nearby ice chunk and climbed on top of it, exhausted. He managed to stand up and lean on the golden Eagle Staff for support. Before the vision ended, Wil heard a voice echo through his mind; it was Annabeth's. she was screaming out as if she was yelling for someone to help her. One word rang through his head that would haunt Wil throughout the night. "_Percy!_"


	11. Chapter 11

Nanako woke up to the chirping of bird on the window sill of the cabin. She blinked the sleep out of her eyes and sat up. She saw the birds who built a nest over on the sill in the sunlight. Two fluffy, yellow birds mingled around the nest, chirping at each other. The sunlight shown through that window which made the birds' yellow feathers glow brighter. Nanako smiled at the sight of the cute little puffy birds hop around on the window sill and turned to see where Wil was. As always, he was up before she was. His sleeping bag was void of any life and he was nowhere to be seen. Nanako sighed; she could never get him to stay in one place.

Before Nanako was up Wil was already up before everyone was, wandering around the camp. He got up at the exact same time the sun was rising. He never knew how he did that, but dismissed it as his sixth sense and moved on. He had cleaned himself up at the bath houses, because he hadn't showered or even changed clothing since he had arrived. After that, he quietly snuck back into the cabin to grab his training things and started to wander. He was in no hurry to get anywhere, so he just walked slowly around the campgrounds, taking it all in. He knew that if he wanted to use any chakra at this time of day, it wouldn't be as powerful as he would in the middle of the day; but the early morning sunshine always felt the best to him. It was a reviving light that always got him ready for the day. As he walked through the camp, he saw a different and quieter version of the Half-Blood Haven. No demigods were up this early so the cabins were quiet. He followed the central path to the sea shore.

On the way, he was thinking of his vision. He could finally put a name to the face of the son of Poseidon, Percy. Whoever he was, he had a distinct connection with Camp Half-Blood, but he couldn't quite figure it out. Percy seemed powerful, too, more powerful than any of the other demigods. He wondered where he was now. In the dream he was on icy plains next to a sea. He would have to seek refuge somewhere. Wil walked along the white shores of the sea, listening to the wave's crash against the sands and feel the salty sea breeze touch his face. Wil let his thoughts wander away as he stared out to the untamed waters of the sea. He stared out peacefully at the water, until he felt something odd. The water seemed to be influenced by something; something powerful. A being with more power than Wil could have imagined controlled the waters crashing on the shores.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" A voice came from behind Wil. Wil instantly spun around with a FTG kunai in his hand at the ready. Who he saw almost made him drop his kunai. The man standing before him in a tropical vacation shirt, khaki shorts, and leather sandals looked almost exactly the same as Percy from his visions. He had the same black hair, sea-green eyes, and good looks. The only difference was that this guy was obviously older because of his "smile crinkles" around his eyes and cheeks and his neatly trimmed beard.

The most surprising part was that Wil didn't sense him approach at all. "Who are you?"

"Relax, young ninja, I mean no harm," Said the man. "I only wish to talk."

"Fine, we can talk, after you tell me who you are," Wil hadn't lowered his kunai. Through his training with Nanako, each of them had become great sensors and Wil could sense an extremely powerful being a mile away; but that man was different. He hadn't sensed his approach but now looking at him he resonated with power even greater than Hera's.

"I think you already know the answer to that question," The man told him. He walked passed him and gazed out to the sea with his hands behind his back. "Such a mysterious sight, the ocean; you never know what might wash up on shore."

As if on cue, a metal object washed up on shore right by the man's feet. He picked it up and showed Wil. It was his FTG kunai! Wil looked down and saw that his hands were empty as well. The look of befuddlement on Wil's face made the man smile.

"How did you do that?" Wil asked in disbelief. Then the thought dawned upon him. "Poseidon?"

"You said it, kid, not me," Poseidon confirmed and tossed the kunai back to Wil. "Word has reached my ears that you have had visions of my son."

"Uh, yeah, Percy?" Wil snapped back from his little state of disbelief.

"How is he? Is he doing all right?" Then something happened that Wil did not intend to see from a god; a look of deep concern crossed his face.

"Yeah, last time I saw he was fighting off a group of zombie demigods on top of a glacier or something," Wil explained while slipping his kunai into his pocket. "Hold on, if you are the almighty sea god, why couldn't you use your omnipresent powers to check up on him?"

"Because where he was at was outside the realm of the gods," Poseidon snapped. "You have much to learn about this world and its horrors. What he was doing was fighting off an evil even more powerful than that of the Titans that you've been learning about."

"Yeah, I heard that there was a war of some kind between the gods and the Titans," Wil said.

"Walk with me, young Wilhelm," Poseidon gestured and started walking along the shoreline. Wil found himself following him soon enough.

"You and your partner's instincts were correct," Poseidon began. "In the beginning of this world there were two beings, Gaea the Earth and Tartarus the Abyss. They made many offspring together, the prominent ones being the Titans. The Titans ruled the Earth in the name of Gaea for thousands of years, until one day their leader Kronos and his wife Rhea gave birth to a new kind of species, the Gods. I was one of three first born Gods, along with my brothers Zeus and Hades."

"Where does the war take place in this story?" Wil asked impatiently.

"Kronos wasn't the best father," Poseidon said hesitantly. "He ate Hades and me whole. It was through clever trickery that Zeus, our youngest brother, released us and the war began."

"Well, I guess eating your brothers is cause enough to start a war," Wil mumbled.

"Exactly," Poseidon said. Wil noticed that they were walking well in the wake of the crashing waves, yet they weren't getting wet. The water swirled around them, bending to Poseidon's will and parting wherever he or Wil stepped. "The Gods won the war and took control of the Earth. Zeus, Hades, and I then split the bounty so to speak. Zeus became ruler of the heavens and Mount Olympus, our fortress kingdom; Hades became ruler of the underworld; and yours truly became the lord of the seas."

"So, everything is fine now?" Wil was confused. Poseidon still hadn't answered the question about Gaea's return.

"You'd like to think that," Poseidon's tone changed back to seriousness. "A few hundred years after the Titan Wars and her babies' defeats, she gave birth to an even more deadly race: The Giants."

The mere mention of their name sent chills down Wil's spine. Up above, thunder roared and a larger wave crashed to the shore. Wil had the thought that these new Giants aren't to be trifled with. "What's so special about the Giants?" Wil asked, trying to hide the quaver in his voice.

"The Giants were bread specifically to rival each and every God," Poseidon explained. "We killed most of them, but they are a tricky bunch."

"How so?" The fact that Gaea can create monsters that can rival Gods was unheard of in Wil's mind, but he went with it anyways.

"Only by the powers of a God and the imagination of a demigod can a Giant be defeated," Poseidon said. "And usually, demigods and gods don't make good tag-teams."

"Oh," Wil felt silent again. "So, the Giants have something to do with the rise of Gaea?"

"Yes, you see, the rise of Gaea can only mean one thing: The end of the world," Poseidon stated gravely. "She is the embodiment of the Earth itself. If she was to awaken, it would tear the world apart. The Giants have escaped their prisons in Tartarus and are on a mission to prepare the world for their mother's return."

The gravity of Poseidon's words was immense. It took Wil a little longer than usual to process the information. "That's a lot to take in," He finally said.

"It is, there is a lot of history wrapped up in those words, but what you should take from them is that the Giants need to be stopped at all costs," Poseidon summed up.

"Then why do you need us to do that?" Wil was confused. "Can't you gods help out the demigods to defeat them?"

"That is how it worked in the past, yes," Poseidon began. "But my brothers and I have sensed that Gaea in her wakening state has somehow allied herself with others from your world."

That made Wil stop in his tracks and a blank stare cross his face. "What?" He croaked out.

"You didn't think Gods were the only ones who could bridge the gap between our worlds did you?" Poseidon raised an eyebrow.

The Sea God had a point, it just never crossed Wil's mind that Gaea could do that. If Poseidon was right and she had recruited ninja from his home world then that changed the game dramatically. He and Nanako would now be fighting the evils of two worlds together.

Poseidon walked up to Wil and put a hand on his shoulder. "Wil, the demigods of Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter need your help. They would be fighting an opponent they have never faced before. The ninja Gaea brainwashed into her servitude would tear the demigods to shreds. They need your help. The Gods of Olympus need your help."

Poseidon's face had desperation written all over it. Wil would never think a _God_ would be asking for his help in his lifetime; but looking at Poseidon's gaze, he knew what he had to do.

"I'd be honored, sir," Wil said. "I will protect the demigods with my life, and I'm sure Nanako will do the same."

Poseidon sighed with relief and gave Wil a smile. "I knew I could count on you shinobi. Your Will of Fire burns bright."

"Wait, hold o.n a second. You mentioned two camps," Wil gave him a quizzical look.

"Ahh, you haven't heard of Camp Jupiter?" Poseidon raised an eyebrow with a sly smile.

"I think it might have slipped Chiron's mind," Wil mumbled. He would have a few words to say to the Centaur when he got back to the camp.

"Don't blame it on Chiron; he doesn't like to talk about that touchy subject," Poseidon said.

"What's so touchy about it?" Wil asked, confused. "Do the two camps not get along or something?"

"You could say that," Poseidon walked away from Wil back to the sea. "On the east side of the country reside the Greek Demigods, descendants of the more ancient and Greek side of the Gods. On the west side of the country are the Roman Demigods, descendants of the Roman side. Ever since the formation of the Roman Empire and the sack of Greece thousands of years ago in this world's history, Greek and Roman Demigods have been at each other's throats. That is, until now."

Poseidon kept walking out to sea, well floating really. Wil had to run on the water by channeling his chakra down to his feet to keep talking. "Wait! Don't stop there."

Poseidon stopped and turned to Wil. "I cannot give you all the answers, Wil, but I will tell you that there is a way to settle the centuries old feud between the two groups of demigods."

He started to sink below the surface of the water, dissipating in the wake. Before he finally disappeared, he said, "Good luck, Wil."

"Wait!" Wil pleaded, but Poseidon was already gone. Wil sighed, even though Poseidon gave him a lot of information, he didn't help him with sorting it all out. The history of the camps and of this new world was really complex, but Wil thought that if he told the history of his world to a demigod, they would be equally as confused. There was only one thing to do at this point, report back to Nanako and share the information with her. That is, if it wasn't for an unwary traveler.

"Wil!" A voice called his name from the shore. Wil turned abruptly and for once he actually saw how far away from the short he actually was. He was about 20 yards from the shore, looking at a very unsuspecting demigod: Annabeth.

"Annabeth?" Wil asked in confusion. "What are you doing over here?"

"What are _you_ doing over there?" It took Wil a couple seconds to realize that Annabeth had never seen anyone _walk_ on water before. Her face was that of someone who had seen a ghost.

Wil blushed a little and called back, "I'll be over there in a…" Before he finished, he used a body flicker technique to instantly appear next to Annabeth seemingly out of thin air and finished, "flash."

Annabeth jumped in surprise. She looked really flustered, as if she had a lot to do that morning and talking to him was a waste of her valuable time. "I don't know what passes for 'normal' in your world, but someone walking on water is not normal here."

"My bad," Wil apologized for nothing. Then he raised an eyebrow and asked, "What are you doing over here anyways?"

To Wil, he thought it was a little more than peculiar to see someone like Annabeth up so early and walking over to a place like this. When Wil asked his question, it clearly made Annabeth uncomfortable.

"It's…nothing," She replied, looking at the sand.

"I think there is more to your story than you are telling me," Wil said. "Something is troubling your already troubled mind, Annabeth. If I've learned anything from Nanako, it's that talking about your troubles really helps with coping with them."

Annabeth looked up with watery eyes, and Wil thought for a moment that she was actually going to say something, but instead her gaze shot back down to the sand. "I'd rather not. It's my problem, and it's my job to find the solution. I have to get going now."

She started walking away briskly until Wil finally puzzled everything together. It was so obvious to him now! The visions of this Percy fellow with the occasional appearances of Annabeth; the talk with his father and all powerful Sea God; and finally the very unusual sighting of Annabeth by the sea very early in the morning were all obvious clues to what happened.

"It's about Percy, isn't it?" Wil called back. Instantly, he knew he hit the nail on the head.

Annabeth stopped abruptly in her tracks and spun around with a look of total bewilderment on her face. "How do you know about him?"

"That's a long story," Wil defended himself. "He's the missing Camper though, isn't he?"

Annabeth stormed towards Wil with anger and desperation flaring in her eyes. She was a couple inches taller than Wil and used that to great effect. She grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and pulled him really close to her. "If you are withholding information about Percy, you better spill it before I beat it out of you."

"Okay, okay," Wil stammered. "Settle down, I'll tell you everything, but I want the others to hear as well."

"You better, Wil, or so help me I will smack back to whatever world you came from," Annabeth shoved him back and stormed off the beach.

Wil stood there, not sure of what to do. He was sure of one thing though, Annabeth and this Percy fellow were definitely in a relationship. He couldn't wait to hear Annabeth's side of the story so he could finally solve the riddle of his dreams and visions for good.

Breakfast was pretty much a blur in Wil's eyes. He and Nanako still ate with Annabeth, Leo, Jason, and Piper; but it was really awkward sitting even in the same room with Annabeth after what happened earlier that morning. Nanako sensed this and whispered to him, "What's with you and Annabeth?"

"I'll tell you later," Wil replied quickly and quickly finished his meal. "Can everyone meet me at the beach after breakfast? There's something Annabeth and I have to tell you all."

He gave Annabeth a glance, sending the subliminal message to satisfy her lust for information on all things Percy. He got up and walked down to the beach.

"What was that all about?" Leo asked curiously.

"You'll see, just meet us at the beach in a few," Annabeth shut him down and then left as well.

"Wow," Leo said. "If that wasn't the strangest thing."

"Do you have any idea what's going on, Nanako?" Piper asked.

"I'm as clueless as you guys are. They obviously know something that they don't," Nanako defended. "But whatever it is, it's gotten Annabeth all flustered."

"Do you think…?" Piper looked at Jason thoughtfully.

"It could be, but either way, we should get down there as soon as possible," Jason said.

"Wait; is this about what I think it's about?" Leo chimed in.

"Yeah, now hurry up, we need to get down there," Piper scolded him.

"What's going on?" Nanako was completely out of the loop and it was really annoying. "What is all this about?"

"We'll explain when we get to the beach," Jason told her as he and Piper and Leo were standing up to leave.

Nanako grumbled and followed. They all made it to the beach to see Annabeth and Wil waiting for them, both with their arms folded. Neither of them looked too happy, more awkward really. Nanako was the most anxious one of the bunch, mostly because she had no idea what was going on between Annabeth and Wil. She knew it wasn't anything that would affect Wil and Nanako's relationship as a couple, because their body language screamed something completely different. Annabeth almost seemed embarrassed, as if Wil knew something about her that she didn't want anybody to know. Wil just looked awkward and impatient for the others to arrive to loosen the tension. That's why when Nanako and they all walked up; Wil was the first to speak.

"Good, we're all here," He began.

"Yup! Why are we here exactly?" Nanako asked, confused.

Annabeth finally looked up from her stationary gaze at the sand and addressed the whole group. "The demigods know this for a fact, especially Jason, but to Nanako and Wil its new information. About six months ago two demigods went missing, one from the Greek Camp Half-Blood and the other from the Roman Camp Jupiter. One had recently shown up at Camp Half-Blood, he's actually standing with us right now."

Nanako and Wil instantly looked at Jason. Even from looking at him, he didn't fit in very well with the other campers; from his fighting style against the Laistrygonian Giants to his fashion style, wearing purple instead of orange.

"It's true, I am from Camp Jupiter, but what does that have to do with anything?" Jason asked.

"You're not the problem anymore, which is actually a good thing for you," Wil interjected. "It's the second camper that's still missing, or was as of this morning."

"You finally found him?" Piper asked with a hopeful tone.

"I think so, according to Wil, he's been having visions about him," Annabeth said in a condescending tone.

"Wait, hold on a sec, back it up," Nanako finally said. "Who is 'he'?"

"'He' is the recently found demigod Percy Jackson. The sole son and counselor of Poseidon and his cabin," Wil said. "From what Annabeth and I have gathered, Percy and Jason were part of an exchange program started by Hera to try and bring the Greek and Roman camps together and fulfill that prophecy of yours."

"So, he's for sure at Camp Jupiter now?" Leo asked.

"Yes, last time I saw him in my visions he was holding a giant golden eagle on a stick," Wil added.

"That's pretty exponential proof. The eagle is a symbol of the Roman Legion," Jason confirmed.

"Awesome!" Piper proclaimed. "Now, Leo, you can finish up that warship you've been working so hard on."

"Wait, you were already preparing for this?" Nanako raised an eyebrow.

"We already thought Percy was at Camp Jupiter, but we weren't one hundred percent sure, until now," Leo explained. "So, thanks for the confirmation."

"Oh," Nanako fell silent for a second, and then she looked at Annabeth. "Then why are you so worked up about this?"

"Because Percy happens to be my boyfriend," Annabeth gave her an irritated look.

Nanako backed off, knowing she stepped over some sort of line. "Oh, sorry I didn't know."

"Well now you do," Annabeth snapped. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to my cabin."

She left in a huff, leaving the group in an awkward silence. "Did I say something?" Nanako asked innocently.

"Don't sweat it, Nanako," Piper reassured her. "Ever since Percy went missing, she's always been that way. She means well, it's just having someone you love getting ripped from your life can do crazy things to your head."

"Yeah, everything is alright," Wil reinforced and put his arm around Nanako's waist. "So what's our next plan? Now that we know where Percy is, how are we going to find him?"

"I've been working on a little something special that should get us there," Leo said proudly.

"I'm still not thinking a giant, flying warship is the best entrance we can make," Piper said.

"Would you rather walk there?" Leo shot back.

"Well, no but –"

"Exactly," Leo cut her short. "Now if you'll excuse me, Supreme Admiral Leo must return to his ship."

He saluted Piper and Jason. Jason was the only one who played along and saluted him back. Then Leo spun around and hurried back to wherever he was working on his warship.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Wil asked Piper and Jason.

The two demigods exchanged glances, then Jason replied, "We actually have some training and preparations to take care of if we are actually flying to Camp Jupiter. But we'd be more than happy to help you find Chiron, I'm sure he'll have something for you guys to do."

"Yeah, seeing as you are already honorary campers, Chiron will definitely keep you busy," Piper agreed.

"Okay, cool," Nanako smiled. She slipped her hand into Wil's and asked, "So, where is he?"

"He should be at the Big House," Piper said. She had slipped her hand into Jason's as well and started to walk off with him. "He's usually always there."

"See you around," Jason bid adieu as she was dragged away by Piper.

Wil and Nanako stood there in silence for a bit. "Didn't Jason say they were going to help us find him?"

"I don't know," Wil scratched his head with his free hand. "Whatever happened, I'm strangely okay with it."

"Me, too," Nanako agreed slowly. Then she shook her head, snapping her out of a daze. "Anyways, let's go find Chiron."

"Right," Wil smiled at her and strengthened his grip on her hand. Then he braced himself to start jumping, but Nanako pulled him back.

"No," She said sternly. "We are going to walk together like a normal couple."

"But that's so slow!" Wil whined.

"I don't care," Nanako scolded with finality. She hugged his arm and continued, "You are going to walk with me and you are going to like it."

Wil couldn't really argue with Nanako, mostly because he knew he was going to lose. So, he just played along, thinking to himself that there were worse things he could be doing other than enjoying his girlfriend's company. He smiled and said, "Fine, just this once."


	12. Chapter 12

"And you're absolutely sure?" Wil and Nanako hear Chiron say when they arrived at on the porch of the Big House.

"I'm positive, he's got to be there," Annabeth replied. She looked like she was pleading to Chiron for something.

"What's going on?" Nanako joined in.

Chiron and Annabeth turned unexpectedly. That was when Wil saw that Annabeth and Chiron had the same expression on their face: a desperate hope.

"Is it true, Wil?" Chiron asked. "Is Percy really at Camp Jupiter?"

"Yeah," Confirmed Wil. "There's no doubt that he's there."

"That means the only way we are to get there is that warship Leo is building," Annabeth said.

Chiron seemed to ponder this news carefully, stroking his beard as he thought through wrinkled eyebrows. "How far is Leo on its production?"

"From what he's told me, we should be ready to fly in three days," Annabeth informed Chiron.

"Wait, hold on a second," Wil stopped. "What about us?"

"Well, seeing as you were sent here to help the demigods on their voyage, it would be fitting to accompany them," Chiron said and looked to Annabeth for confirmation. Her face wasn't the most joyous of one. She was in a frustrated silence, trying to think before she decided to blow up with emotion. Chiron saw this and scowled. "Annabeth, you know you will need all the help you need. I'm sure the brightest child of Athena would understand that."

"Fine then," She grumbled. "Just stay out of our way, I don't want to end up saving your butt after every monster attack."

Wil knew where this was going when he felt Nanako tense up. "I'm going to be the one who will be saving you. You better check where your stepping, because you've almost crossed a line there, demigod."

A couple demigods walking out and around the Big House stopped to watch the argument.

"Is that a challenge?" Annabeth snapped. More demigods stood around to watch how this verbal battle would play out.

"It could be! Why don't you put your metal where your mouth is," Nanako shot back. She let go of Wil and they both got up in each other's face.

"Girls!" Chiron budded in and put his whole horse body in between them. "Show some sense of restraint. Annabeth, act your age and not one of the Ares cabin, and Nanako, I know you haven't been here for a while but this isn't the place to be fighting. If you want to settle your differences that way though, then meet me at the arena at noon. We'll settle this in a more civil manner."

"Well, what do you say, ninja?" Annabeth chided. "Do you wanna test your skills against a _real_ warrior?"

"Oh, please, I've fought thousands of people who were twice the warrior you are," Nanako shot back.

"Okay, that's enough," Wil proclaimed. He walked in between them and separated them. "Each of you will go back to your cabins. At noon we will settle this."

"Fine," they both shouted in unison and stormed off. Wil and Chiron both stood there, massaging their temples. Sometimes, Wil wished that he had a leash for Nanako when she got all hotheaded. His life would be so much easier if she wasn't so headstrong. The crowd of demigods dispersed, probably to go spread the word about the fight at noon.

"I'm so sorry about that," Wil apologized to Chiron.

"I'm equally to blame," Chiron said. "Annabeth has been under a lot of stress trying to find Percy. Those two had something special together, and to have someone like that ripped from your life like that is too much to bear."

Wil had heard similar things about that before from other people. "What is this Percy guy like?"

"Percy Jackson is a remarkable demigod," Chiron began. "I don't know how many times he had saved this camp and the whole world for that matter."

"Wow, he sounds pretty strong," Wil commented.

"He is, but he's also a very humble and easy going person," Chiron smiled hopefully. "When you find him, I know you will get along well with him very well."

"Well that's good to know," Wil then thought about Percy's relationship with Annabeth. "How did Annabeth fall in love with Percy?"

"Near death experiences have that sort of effect on people," Chiron winked. "I'm sure you and Nanako know what that's like."

"Yeah, a couple of those though were trying to avoid Nanako," Wil joked. "I really fear for Annabeth, Nanako is a fierce fighter."

"I think Annabeth can hold her own," Chiron stated. "I should know, I trained her myself. She is also a daughter of the Goddess of Wisdom and Battle Strategy; she always has a few tricks up her sleeve."

"Well then I guess we are in for a good fight," Wil commented nonchalantly. He didn't want to get into a battle of words with Chiron like Nanako did with Annabeth. If he did, they would probably be having a tag-team battle.

"Most definitely," Chiron agreed. "Other than this mess, are you fitting into the camp pretty well?"

"Oh, yeah," replied Wil. "The cabin is awesome and I've already had the pleasure to meet some of the other demigods."

"That's very good," Chiron smiled.

"Would you mind if I walked around the camp and checked out all it has to offer by myself?" Wil asked.

"I don't see why not," Chiron stroked his beard. "Just be sure to be at the arena by noon. I have a feeling you need to be there."

"Yes, sir," Wil said and started to walk off.

It's hard to measure the anger Nanako had when she stormed off from the group. She walked a couple of feet then started to "ninja hop", or uses her advanced shinobi skills to jump extremely high and far away from the group. She jumped all the way back to the Hera Cabin, ignoring the awestruck gazes of other demigods. She landed softly in front of the door and grabbed for the door handle. She reached for the handle and pulled so fast that she tore the knob clean off. She grumbled as she became even more furious. She clenched her hand holding the knob, crushing it under her immense chakra-enhanced strength. She threw the knob on the ground and with one fail swoop, she punched the door so hard that it flew off its hinges and smacked on to the far wall of the cabin. The demigods around their respective cabins turned to look at the spectacle, but Nanako didn't care as she stepped quietly into her cabin.

Meanwhile, on a different part of the Camp, Wil was walking towards the recreational part of the camp. He was extremely interested in watching and possibly playing that game involving larger white ball and an eight foot net. He walked along, observing the sounds and sights of the camp. Over at the recreational part, there were many demigods playing organized games, and they looked really good at them. There was one where two teams of five played in a court with two hanging baskets on each side with a large, rectangular back on them. One team dribbled an orange ball up the court trying to put it in the basket. The way they dribbled the ball amazed Wil; how they passed it from hand to hand, between their legs, or even behind their back. How they seemed to know which move with the ball to do when an opponent was trying to get at them impressed Wil. When they shot the ball, it was a perfect arc into the basket and when it went in, it made a triumphant _swoosh_ sound.

Wil then looked to left of the court of balls and baskets to see what he came there to see. There, he could see the eight foot net peering over all the players on either side. He saw one player step outside of the white lines and hit the white ball over hand to the other side. Then, one player on the other side took one for the team and held his arms straight out and folded one fist over the other and let the ball bump on their fore arms. The ball hit and went straight up. The bumper (whose forearms should have a big red mark on them) got out of the way for another person to take his place. He had his hands over his head, and when the ball came back down he seemed to almost push the ball back up with only his finger-tips. The ball floated to a perfect spot for one last player to jump up and meet the ball at its maximum height and to hit the ball out of the air and down at such a powerful angle that it exploded off his hand and crashed into an open spot on the opposite side of the floor. The whole team cheered and celebrated a little and the other team gave them the ball and they started over, except the team that must have scored a point or something like that got to serve.

To Wil, it was really riveting to watch, because he loved competition. In fact, the only one who loved competition more than him was Nanako; which is probably why she is in this whole mess with Annabeth. Wil didn't want to spend too much time in one spot and moved on to see another part of the camp. Wil walked west to the arena where Nanako and Annabeth would have their little grudge match. The place was actually a pretty neat set up. The whole enclosed, dome structure had audience seating set up higher than the battlegrounds, about ten feet or so. The rest of the grounds was scattered with straw dummies and demigods practicing their sword techniques on them. There were also others who were sparring or wrestling with each other.

On the far side was a sort of sparring ring enclosed by three horizontal cables attached to its fours sides along the perimeter. Many demigods surrounded the ring as they watched two other sparring. Wil stopped over and looked at the competition. They were fighting each other in the ring barefoot and wearing fingerless gloves with what looked like very minimal padding on them. They also wore color-coded, padded helmets; one red and the other blue. The fighter wearing the blue was a taller, skinnier, dark skinned demigod. Wil could relate him to the ninja of the hidden stone village. This demigod was remarkably light on his feet and seemed to float around the other attacks of the second fighter.

The one with the red helmet was shorter than the blue helmet guy, but had a better build. The red fighter was also a girl! Wil could see her choppy, greasy blonde hair poking out from underneath her helmet. She had a very athletic build with very cut muscles. Her appearance looked very familiar to Wil, but he couldn't put a name to her until he saw her face. Wil got the chance when amidst the two fighters' bout; the tall blue guy took a swing at the girl. She must have anticipated the blow and expertly dodged the fist and grabbed his whole arm and wrestled him to the ground, pinning him with his arm. The man tapped out and she reluctantly let down. She stood back up and embraced the crowd's cheers and applause. She turned to Wil's general direction and he finally put a name to the face. She was the one who tried to capture Nanako and him after the battle with the Laistrygonian Giants as well as the person who was also snickering at him at the table in the mess hall. Clarisse was her name, and it looked like being a hardcore warrior was her game.

He remembered that she was a daughter of the War God Ares, so she can be a bit of a loose cannon, so to speak. Wil would have to be careful around someone like her, as well as her siblings. Apparently, Wil wasn't careful enough because as he started to walk away, he heard Clarisse yell at him.

"Hey you!" Clarisse's voice boomed over the cheers and claps. All the demigods around the ring fell silent and turned to look at Wil, who was still slowly walking away. He thought, he hoped, she was talking to someone else so he kept walking. "Hey, ninja! I'm talking to you!"

Wil was wrong. He stopped to turn around and of course there she was, leaning against the ropes. Wil really didn't want to have anything to do with miss hothead, but he was already in the mess as soon as he stopped to see her fight. "What do you want?"

"Why are you walking away? Am I not entertaining enough for you?" Clarisse probed.

"I'm just going to check out the rest of the camp," Wil replied.

"You didn't answer the question," Clarisse snarled. "Are you not entertained?"

"I'd rather not answer that," Wil replied.

The look Clarisse gave him after that comment was of utter disdain. All of her muscles seemed to flex in anger. "Well if you think you could fight better than the last weakling, show me!"

The demigods around the ring started to cheer in agreement. Wil took one last look at them and saw they all had one thing in common; a lust for violence. They all looked at Wil as if he was the last bowl of ramen in the world. Wil had a feeling that if he didn't decide quickly, he would be mobbed by the crazy children of the war god.

"I don't want to fight you," Wil called to Clarisse. "We are supposed to be getting along, not fighting each other like that."

"Well your girlfriend didn't think it was like that," Clarisse shot back. "She's almost more hot-blooded than I am, to take on Annabeth like that."

"That was a mistake," Wil defended. "That was never supposed to happen."

"But it did, ninja," Clarisse wasn't backing down. The crowd of bloodthirsty demigods was growing more anxious to see another fight; Wil didn't know how much longer they could wait.

"Word has spread around camp that you guys are somehow tied to the Prophecy of Seven," Clarisse started again. "Apparently, you are to help those second rate demigods defeat Gaea and her Giants? Well, I find it hard believe that a 'ninja' who is too scared to challenge me can have any glimmer of hope against those monsters."

"You're right," Wil agreed. Clarisse was taken aback by this question as she wrinkled her eyebrows and stood straight up. Before Wil continued, he flashed out of existence. There was a gasp that went through the crowd and Clarisse just stood there, confused at what happened.

Then a voice came from behind her saying, "Let's just get this over with."


End file.
